San Diego County officials announced Saturday that they have expanded the availability of COVID-19 vaccines to 65 and older.
Previously, the vaccine was only available to healthcare professionals and people aged 75 or older, although some healthcare providers have vaccinated their clients aged 65 or older.
“With a number of healthcare providers now being vaccinated in the age group, and the UC San Diego Health Super Station has a surplus of appointments, the decision was made this afternoon,” said Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, the province’s public health officer, said. in a news release. “Appointments are still needed and vaccinations are available based on supply.”
Eligible persons are encouraged to first contact their doctor or healthcare provider to request the vaccine, but if none is available, they should make an appointment at a province. Reservations can be made at vaccinationsuperstationsd.com. Anyone without an appointment will be turned down.
Sharp HealthCare, Scripps Health and UCSD are asking patients not to call about the vaccinations to prevent the phone lines from being overwhelmed. The healthcare providers will contact suitable patients by phone, sms, email or other service.
About 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the United States were among people 65 and older. San Diego County has 473,0000 residents in that age group.
While the rate of new coronavirus infections in California has declined, the associated deaths have reached new highs. The state reported 593 deaths on Saturday, up from a one-day record of 764 on Friday.
In the past week, the state averaged about 29,000 new cases a day, up from 6,000 cases the week before.
“Although we have come a long way this week in spreading communities, we have a long way to go and we must continue to take infectious control measures: wear a face and cover the physical distance when you are outside your home. is, “reads a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
San Diego County has received 173,000 doses of the vaccine over the past few days as part of the launch of a second mass vaccination site in Chula Vista, run by Sharp. The site is located in a former Sears department store and is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The province is willing to vaccinate 5,000 people a day. About 1,800 people made appointments on Thursday.
A site in the UCSD-run Petco Park parking lot has so far vaccinated more than 35,000 people.
Provincial officials said they plan to build two more mass vaccination sites in East County and North County by Feb. 1, along with a total of 16 smaller sites across the region.
The province plans to vaccinate 1.9 million residents by July if enough vaccine is available. To date, approximately 442,000 doses have been sent to the region.
Statistics released by the country on Saturday showed that 2,980 additional cases were reported by Friday, bringing the total to 225,558. The country also reported another 111 hospitalizations, and on Friday there were 1,578 COVID patients in local hospitals, including 434 in intensive care units.
The province added another 43 deaths related to COVID by Friday, bringing the total to 2,344 or 1 percent of cases.
Despite the staggering statistics, some people remain reluctant to follow health orders from the state and the country. Small business owners like restaurants say they will lose their livelihood if they are forced to close. Some churches say that their right to worship indoors is protected by the federal and state constitution.
However, the courts have repeatedly acknowledged the need to protect the public from the spread of the virus through the community.
The U.S. 9th District Court again upheld the public health orders restricting indoor worship on Friday in a case that Chula Vista’s South Bay United Pentecostal Church has been fighting for several months. According to current instructions, churches may congregate outside without capacity restrictions.
The Court of Appeal ruled that “California’s restrictions on indoor worship are limited to the compelling – and immediate – state interest in preventing the spread of the deadly coronavirus through the community.” However, the court said the limits of 100 and 200 people for provinces in less restrictive levels could be unconstitutional.
The ruling contributes to a separate, also Friday, by an appeals court of the state that annuls a ruling at the time of being able to eat in person at restaurants. The judge ruled that the lower court extended a preliminary injunction to include restaurants, as the case was disputed exclusively by two strip clubs, challenging the COVID-19 restrictions that restrict live entertainment.
Staff Writer Kristina Davis contributed to this report.