Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Magic Johnson received his first dose of the Pfizer coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine at USC on Wednesday. He was joined by actor Danny Trejo and comedian Arsenio Hall.
L.A. Fire Department chief Ralph Terrazas administered the shots. L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti additionally was present for the event.
L.A. County is currently in phase 1B of their vaccine distribution plan. Those eligible to receive a free vaccine include healthcare workers, educators and L.A. County residents over the age of 64.
Other states such as Arizona are offering the vaccines to a wider range of people. Before the Dodgers break camp and head back to L.A., Justin Turner revealed he is considering getting the shot.
Today I got my first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. I’m so excited to have taken one of the final steps to protect myself and my family from COVID-19! pic.twitter.com/1ZTAqtu3OZ
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 24, 2021
“I’m definitely thinking about it but don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I still have antibodies, but I don’t know how long those will last,” Turner said.
“So there are some conversations going on with the training staff as to the pros and cons of just getting it now if there’s an opportunity to or waiting to see how long my antibodies last. So I’m not sure what’s going to happen yet.”
Anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to receive the vaccine in Arizona at present time.
L.A. County nearing orange tier, which would mean 18,000 fans at Dodger Stadium
As it stands, the Dodgers are planning on welcoming roughly 11,000 fans per home game at Dodger Stadium for the start of the 2021 season. It’s the byproduct of L.A. County reaching the red tier with respect to COVID cases and hospitalizations dropping, and vaccinations reaching 2 million.
New data released this week showed that the L.A. County adjusted case rate dropped from 4.1 new cases per 100,000 people to 3.7 new cases per 100,000 citizens. The test positivity rate dropped from 2.0% to 1.8%.
If the trend holds at current levels or declines in the case rate and test positivity rate, it is possible by early April for L.A. County to move into the orange tier. That would allow the Dodgers to increase to 33% capacity of Dodger Stadium — or approximately 18,500 fans.
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