Chula Vista's Southwestern College hosted a first-come-first-served vaccination event Friday, targeting those hit hard by the pandemic.
"I’m glad I’m vaccinated," said Elisa Lane from Eastlake who arrived at the site around 6:30 a.m. Some began lining up as early as 3 a.m. For Lane, it was worth waiting a few hours as she was able to get her three kids vaccinated too. She said her daughter heard about the event from a friend.
"She told us yesterday and we just said 'lets go' because we’ve been trying to do it online with no success," Lane said.
The event was targeting those in ZIP codes hit hard by the pandemic, including areas in Chula Vista, San Ysidro and Bonita. San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas helped set it up.
"We’re going to keep at it and we’re going to make sure we reach herd immunity and the only way we can do that is having these pop-up locations," Vargas said. "So that people can have access as they deserve."
Demand is still outpacing available supply. While at least 400 people got shots Friday, many were turned away.
"We would love to do more," said Marquise Jackson, a Southwestern College official. "One of the things I’ve seen from this turnout is this is a good location — we have the space to distance people."
Jackson said he would like to see a more permanent site at the college, or at least more popup sites, especially with majority of students not on campus.
There were some Southwestern students in line, now that Californians 16 and over are eligible for vaccines.
