In December of 2020, the US government began distributing the first approved COVID-19 vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Since then, 2 more vaccines have been approved for use in the U.S.--Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The early stages of the vaccine rollout in Los Angeles were mired with technical roadblocks, equity issues, and vaccine apprehension that public health efforts still face today. 

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In February of 2021, as part of the 2021 Price Policy Forum Series, moderator (and episode host) Rit Shukla asked health experts and policy professionals to reflect on the challenges, successes, and strategies that Los Angeles used in its early stages of the vaccine rollout. Rit spoke with the Honorable Nury Martinez, Dr. Neeraj Sood, Dr. Sten Vermund, and Dr. Paula Cannon. Half a year later, many of the panelists' ideas to combat distrust, strategies to ensure a more equitable vaccine distribution, and concerns over variants are still relevant.

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