Mayor Eric Garcetti previously designated Dodger Stadium as a COVID-19 testing site, and announced operations have shifted to vaccinations. (photo courtesy of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office)

The city of Los Angeles has announced that COVID-19 testing operations at Dodger Stadium have ended and the site will be used for vaccinations, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. City and county public health officials decided to transition the site to a mass vaccination center and a focus can be placed on personnel, equipment and other resources for vaccination distribution.

“I want to thank Mayor Eric Garcetti, the entire city of Los Angeles and the Dodgers organization for their partnership in getting us to this point,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, 1st District. “For eight months, Dodger Stadium served as a lifeline for so many Angelenos, providing free access to testing. In this moment of darkness where cases, hospitalizations and deaths are skyrocketing, this bold step of [previously] offering COVID-19 testing and [now] vaccines in the heart of Los Angeles reflects the dual nature of this moment – it is dark, but simultaneously hopeful. Robust COVID-19 testing is the linchpin to getting out of this current and unprecedented surge and the vaccine is fulcrum to ending the pandemic once and for all.”

“From early on in this pandemic, Dodger Stadium has been home base for our testing infrastructure, a vital part of our effort to track the spread of COVID-19, try to get ahead of outbreaks, and save lives,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti added. “Vaccines are the surest route to defeating this virus and charting a course to recovery, so the city, county and our entire team are putting our best resources on the field to get Angelenos vaccinated as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible.”

The Dodger Stadium site will be able to vaccinate up to 12,000 people per day when it is fully operational. As vaccine supplies increase in the weeks and months ahead, officials are still urging residents to wear masks, avoid gatherings, maintain distance and stay home.

The shift in resources will temporarily reduce testing capacity in L.A. County, but it will more than triple the number of daily vaccines available to be dispersed to Angelenos. The city remains committed to providing free testing to residents, with or without symptoms, at eight permanent sites and six mobile sites across L.A. In the weeks ahead, the number of tests offered will increase at existing locations, and through additional mobile teams and an expanded site at Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Anyone seeking a test should contact their health care provider or visit coronavirus.lacity.org/testing.