Pasadena Vaccinates Hundreds of Local Critical Healthcare Workers

The Pasadena Public Health Department vaccinated about 550 local healthcare workers Tuesday in Victory Park during the first of a two-day mass dispensing event. The event is closed to the public.

Using what they termed a “Closed Medical Point of Dispensing (MPOD) model,” the PPHD administered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to skilled nursing facility and dialysis workers and staff. The program is scheduled to continue Wednesday.

“This was the first drive thru ‘POD’ but our health Dept. has gone to a few facilities that fall under this tier and administered the vaccination to help supplement the Federal Pharmaceutical Program,” city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said.

The drive-through vaccinations were not available to the public yet since the PPHD is working through the tiers and phases set by the Federal government and the California Department of Public Health, Derderian said.

“The point today is to get as many people vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease,” said Dr. Matt Feaster, PPHD epidemiologist, who supervised the vaccination operations.

“Right now,” said Feaster, “we are in an unprecedented surge again and we find ourselves in need of augmented procedures to get vaccines out as fast as possible to our long term care facility workers.”

Feaster said those workers are the hardest hit in the community and are a priority for the PPHD.

PPHD and Pasadena Fire staff administered the Moderna vaccine today, which Feaster called “safe and effective.”

All of the vaccines being administered in Pasadena require two shots, said Feaster, with the Moderna vaccines requiring another shot in 28 days.

“We’re getting whatever we can out to the public as soon as possible,” he said.