Dodger Stadium mass vaccination site closed short by anti-vaxxers this weekend, police say

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The Los Angeles Fire Department temporarily closed the entrance to the Dodger Stadium vaccination site for 55 minutes on Saturday, Andrea Garcia, a spokeswoman for Mayor Eric Garcetti, told CNN Monday.

Hundreds of cars lined up for the vaccine while anti-vaccination protesters kept reports out, CNN affiliate KCAL / KCBS reported.

The branch video showed a sign that read “LA Better Dodge The Vaxxx”; another read “Covid = Scam.”

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Drake Madison told CNN the protesters were “anti-vaxxers.” The meeting was peaceful and no arrests were made, he said.

The protesters may have had the gates closed by authorities as a precaution, but they did not prevent people from being vaccinated during that time, Garcia told CNN. No appointments have been canceled.

“The city is reviewing the security protocol for vaccination sites and will set up a protest zone in case of future protests,” Garcia said in an email.

Protesters with anti-vaccination signs stand next to cars with people waiting for vaccination.

Dodger Stadium is one of the largest vaccination sites in the country. Garcetti said the site has the capacity to vaccinate 12,000 people every day, he said the night before the site opened.

According to data published Sunday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 31.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the US. Los Angeles County has administered 790,902 doses of the vaccine since January 25, according to the Department of Health.

“Everyone we met there who had an appointment there was housed,” Brian Humphrey, spokesman for the Los Angeles fire department, told CNN Monday.

The vaccination process has been emotional, he said.

“It’s not only a physical toll, but an emotional toll on us,” said Humphrey. “It’s a moving moment for a lot of these people who are getting vaccinated. Maybe they’ve lost their parents or something, you know, and they’re sobbing and we give them an injection.

The vaccine program is a joint effort between the mayor’s office and the fire department, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman David Ortiz said Saturday. Vaccine appointments run from 8am to 8pm and more appointments will be offered “as soon as we get another vaccination assignment,” he said.

CNN’s Claudia Dominguez and Braden Walker contributed to this report.

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