LONG BEACH, Calif. — Thousands of people from all over the world are coming to Long Beach and getting vaccinated.

The Long Beach Health Department has extra shots and they decided to give them to sailors coming through the ports, regardless of nationality.

What You Need To Know

  • Crew members passing through the ports of LA and Long Beach are being offered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, regardless of nationality

  • Teams from the Long Beach Health Department board ships in both ports, administering more than 3,500 vaccines so far on nearly 240 vessels

  • Many working in the trenches can’t get the shot in their home countries, so a number of unvaccinated people are working in close quarters

  • A single positive case could put lives at risk and hamper the supply chain at the some of the busiest ports in the world

After spending years in the Navy, Captain Dick Mckenna now runs the International Seafarers Center. Everything he does is about making the life of a sailor easier.

“These guys sometimes just get forgotten,” Mckenna said.

It used to be any sailor in need could stay at the center overnight, space permitting. Now, only Americans are allowed because of restrictions on international sailors leaving ships.

Mckenna has found a few exceptions. Case in point: a bunch of foreign sailors got vaccinated at the center. Since then, Mckenna continues to help organize transportation, ensuring shots get into arms whether on water or land.

One vaccine recipient is electrical engineer Andrii Bezrukavii. Bezrukavii is from Ukraine and he’s been at sea for months leaving his wife and children at home. He’s the first one in his immediate family to get the shot, which is a big deal. Reuters reports less than 5% of Ukrainians are fully protected against COVID-19.

So, there’s a silver lining being far from family.

“Very good…very lucky guy because now in the U.S. you have vaccination Johnson and Johnson,” Bezrukavii said.

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Teams from the Long Beach Health Department board ships in both ports, administering more than 3,500 vaccines so far on nearly 240 vessels.

For many working in the trenches they can’t get the shot in their home countries, and so a lot of unvaccinated people have to work together in close quarters. A single positive case could put lives at risk and hamper the supply chain at the some of the busiest ports in the world.

“Our mission is to look after the seafarers and these are the people who bring the prosperity to the ports,” Mckenna said.

There are a couple of options for cargo ships as it relates to quarantine. They can choose to disembark all crew for a 14-day shoreside quarantine, or do an onboard 14-day quarantine in which some crew can continue working. A spokesperson for the city of Long Beach reports this has happened to about three to five ships per month since COVID-19 started.