Dear Friend --

Today, our first batch of vaccines have arrived. We could not be more grateful to Governor Newsom, our state partners, and our team at the Long Beach Health Department.

Tomorrow at 9 a.m., we will begin our vaccine rollout to medical workers in Long Beach. It’s an important and hopeful moment for our community in the fight against COVID-19.

The first residents to get the vaccine in group A will include:

• Healthcare workers in hospitals
• Residents and staff at nursing and long term care facilities
• Paramedics and EMT personnel

Second to receive the vaccine will be our healthcare workers in clinics and public health departments. And third to receive the vaccine will be our dental and key pharmacy personnel.

In group B are all essential workers in education and schools, grocers, public safety officers, transit workers and other essential workers. And group C will include residents over 65 and other residents with critical care needs. All of these populations should be vaccinated in spring 2021.

Vaccinations for the general public, which will occur at our current testing centers, will likely start in late spring. And if the federal government and the state are able to acquire more vaccine doses this timeline could be expedited. For up-to-date information on our city's vaccination rollout, please visit our website here.

While we are turning a corner, COVID-19 remains a serious threat and we must continue to stay safe and follow all of the advice that our public health professionals have laid out over the past several months. This holiday season, please be especially considerate of our health care workers and make smart decisions about how to take care of one another. 

Thank you and stay safe,

Mayor Robert Garcia