After an 18-month effort, the Port of Long Beach on Dec. 31 wrapped up its COVID-19 vaccination program, which saw close to 12,000 shots given to mariners serving on cargo ships visiting the San Pedro Bay.
“We are proud to have sponsored free vaccines for sailors visiting the port,” Port of Executive Director Mario Cordero said. “The port is about more than just moving cargo, it’s about the people who move the cargo and keeping them healthy and safe.”
The program – run jointly by the port, the National Guard and the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services – allowed 11,766 crew members on 1,275 ships to voluntarily receive the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine for free.
About 5,971 mariners on 684 vessels were vaccinated within the port, according to the POLB.
“We are so pleased to have vaccinated so many international seafarers, many of whom had no opportunity to be vaccinated in their home countries,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Sharon L. Weissman. “The Long Beach community – the port, the city, terminal operators and dockworkers – were able to help mariners coming to both our port and the Port of Los Angeles. Together, we had a global impact in fighting the spread of COVID.”
