Worried about a COVID shot? The state will open appointments for everyone in another week, but you do not even have to wait that long – if you are willing to drive a few miles further to get the jab.
A handful of vaccination rooms, with a surplus of shots, have opened their doors wide to all adults, regardless of age, work status, medical history or where they live. All California adults 16 years and older are eligible from April 15, but until then, the demand for vaccinations and rules for who can get it can vary greatly from country to country and even clinic to clinic. That means finding an appointment has turned into something of an Easter egg hunt for determined Bay Area vaccine seekers, many of whom are too desperate to wait another week, or that it will be even harder to worry than everyone in the state is eligible. The state has further confirmed that it expects the supply of vaccines to decline in the coming weeks, which is likely to delay the appointment of the first dose and increase anxiety.
UC Davis Medical Center began offering vaccines to all California residents aged 16 and older this week after as many as 1,500 appointments were unused each day.
“We have decided that it is better to fill those appointments with people who are eager to be vaccinated, rather than leave the locks open, because we are waiting for the calendar to run until April 15,” said spokeswoman Tricia Tomiyoshi written in an email statement. “Every vaccination is one step closer to ending this pandemic.”
The response was “overwhelming” and appointments filled quickly, including people coming from outside Sacramento County, though UC Davis did not detect how far anyone was driving. The center has since added more slots.
The hope of going to university, going to sports and traveling again motivated the younger generations to # COVID-19 vaccine. We started vaccinating someone 16 years and older this week and are delighted with the positive response we have seen. pic.twitter.com/Qu6O2gqJ7X
– UC Davis Health (@UCDavisHealth) 7 April 2021
Elsewhere, officials remove age restrictions – but only for locals.
Alameda County offers COVID shots to all adults living in a dozen zip codes, severely affected by the virus, regardless of age or occupation. The zip codes include neighborhoods in East Oakland, West Oakland, Hayward and San Leandro.
“Many of our frontline essential workers and their families live in these priority zip codes – often in overcrowded and multinational households,” Neamedu Balram, spokesman for the Alameda County Department of Public Health, wrote in an email. “This approach helps us achieve our equity goals and serve communities that have an excessive burden throughout the pandemic.”
A Santa Clara County representative said residents 16 and older can sign up for appointments next week from Thursday – but some who have tried have reported problems and a lack of openings.
And Fresno County on Thursday opened vaccinations for everyone 16 years and older, citing a silence in demand, reports The Fresno Bee.
Although many local provinces may not be able to get nearly enough vaccine doses for everyone who wants a chance, this is not the case everywhere. The CVS website on Thursday showed appointments available in Bakersfield and Eureka, but nowhere in the Bay.
Cal State Bakersfield has shots in the arms of people who are young and healthy and who may not be eligible for other facilities, causing people from Los Angeles County to flock to the university, reports the Los Angeles Times. According to a spokesman for Kaiser Permanente, which helps run the site, Kern County residents are being prioritized at the Bakersfield vaccination center.
But “if there is available capacity in our vaccination schedule, as well as vaccine provision, we will accept people who want to be vaccinated, also from outside the area,” spokesperson Terry Kanakri wrote in an email statement. “As more people in Kern County qualify for the vaccination, run-in vaccinations are likely to decrease, or eventually end.”
Similarly, young, healthy vaccine hunters can be happy by visiting the mass vaccination site in the state of Los Angeles in the next few days. As the state transfers control of the site to the city of Los Angeles, according to Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the governor’s office for emergency services, there are a “small number” of unused appointments for people 18 and older.
For many people who are eager to get a vaccine, a long commute is nothing. Nelson Tracey, a 28-year-old documentary filmmaker in Los Angeles, determined that he would be eligible for a shot at the end of March because he was doing tutorial work on the side. After not finding an appointment in Los Angeles, he tried in Orange County – about a 45-minute drive from his home, with no traffic.
“It took a few clicks, but I found an appointment within minutes,” he said. He even had to choose what time he wanted to go.
Now, Tracey has an appointment for his second Pfizer shot on Sunday.
“I felt I was getting happy,” he said, “and I was prepared that it would be just too good to be true.”