INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Mariano sisters have fond memories of their prior trips to The Forum.
"I came here for a concert back in like 2013," says 22-year-old Zhanelle Mariano, whose latest visit will be one she won’t ever forget. "It’s so crazy because it’s like, you come here for something fun, and then now I’m here getting a vaccine that will save my life."
What You Need To Know
- 4,000 people are expected to get vaccinated at The Forum's vaccination site, which will be open seven days a week
- The COVID testing site at The Forum is still open and just yards away from the vaccination site
- As of now the vaccinations site is drive through only, or people can take an Uber/Lyft, but eventually it hopes to expand to walk-up as well
- Vaccination appointments are now open to those 65 and over in L.A. County
Mariano, a nursing student at West Coast University, recently lost two family friends to the virus. So when she was told she would have to start going into hospitals in the coming days to continue her nursing education, she jumped at the chance to get the vaccine.
“I also wanted to get the vaccine to get extra precautions because I will be coming back home to my family, and I wouldn’t want to give them anything and especially my dad has diabetes, so he’s at higher risk,” said Mariano.
On Sunday she went online, made an appointment; and made sure to bring a letter from her school and her student ID proving her status in the first tier.
“Today’s the day, creating history,” says Mariano.
History is certainly being made here, said Jesus Ruiz, a field officer for The Forum's vaccination site.
"This is one of the five sites that we are opening up today here at The Forum," said Ruiz. "We’re hoping to vaccinate 4,000 a day at this site, 7 days a week."
As of now the vaccination site is drive-through only, or people can take a Lyft or Uber, but eventually they hope to expand it to walk up as well. With around 200 workers on site, as Ruiz explained, L.A. County has pulled from all government agencies to meet the challenge.
“We have fire department, we even have lifeguards pitching in, and it takes a huge team effort,” he said.
Efforts which have now divided the county’s resources, since The Forum's COVID testing site is still open and just yards away.
After Mariano received her vaccine, she waited at the site for an extra 15 minutes to make sure she didn't have an adverse reaction. But with this shot, she hopes she can regain some sense of normalcy.
"I was really thankful that I was able to qualify for Tier 1 and I hope everyone can get the vaccine soon, and I hope everyone can stay safe."