Dodger Stadium to become a COVID-19 vaccination site

Dodger Stadium is no longer a COVID-19 testing site, with preparations underway to ready the site for vaccinations beginning on Friday, Jan. 15, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Monday.

Monday was the last day of testing at Dodger Stadium, which has administered over one million tests since May, one of the most prolific testing sites in the country. The mayor’s office said the site will be able to vaccinate up to 12,000 people per day once it is fully operational.

“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,” Garcetti said in a statement. “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.”

In addition to Dodger Stadium, Petco Park in San Diego and Cal Expo in Sacramento will be utilized by the state to distribute vaccines, Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday.

Testing capacity in Los Angeles County will go down with Dodger Stadium no longer available for tests, though at the remaining 14 sites around the county the “number of tests offered will increase through existing locations, additional mobile teams, and an expanded site at Pierce College in Woodland Hills”

Eligibility for the vaccine is available at LA County’s website.

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At the Martin Luther King, Jr Brotherhood Celebration Breakfast on Friday at the YMCA in Los Angeles, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will receive the Brotherhood Award, and Sharon Robinson, Jackie’s daughter, will receive the Human Dignity Award. The event will be streamed online Friday beginning at 9 a.m. PT.

“The Martin Luther King, Jr. Brotherhood Celebration Breakfast is a Los Angeles institution, and I’m honored to receive the Brotherhood Award and share the stage with two dear friends and community leaders – Sharon Robinson and Stedman Graham,” Roberts said in a statement. “I’ve long admired The YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles’ mission and impact, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to join them in celebrating Dr. King’s legacy in our community and beyond.”

Clayton Kershaw was among a group of major leaguers, through the Players Alliance, handing out food, supplies, and baseball equipment in a Dallas suburb over the weekend. Evan Grant at the Dallas Morning News wrote about it, and MLB Network had video of the event:

Joe Amalfitano, who was the Dodgers’ third base coach from 1983-98, announced his retirement from baseball on Sunday, a 66-year career that included 29 years in the Giants organization, including most recently as a special assistant in player development. John Shea at the San Francisco Chronicle has more.

Former Dodgers scout and minor league catcher Guy Wellman passed away at age 99, writes Mark Langill at Dodger Insider.

In Dodgers family news from the last week, Mookie Betts announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend Brianna, and Max Muncy and his wife Kellie announced that their first child is due in July.