If you missed it, the state of California now allows 65-year-olds to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
But in Los Angeles County, health officials say they are only ready in early February (in which they simply do not have enough vaccine) to immunize people in that age group. Meanwhile, Long Beach, as well as Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are moving forward with the age group 65+ … but not without obstacles.
Of course, none of this is simple. This is never the case. We are dealing with an enormous amount of bureaucracy, in addition to the burnt – out public health departments that do not have enough resources, which are already struggling to manage the unprecedented pandemic and an increase in cases.
For more clarity, we reached each city / district for more information.
NOTE: This is an evolving story and will be updated as we get more information.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
To repeat: LA County will not vaccinate people in the age group 65+ early. The department is still focused on health workers.
Meanwhile, dr. Paul Simon of the Los Angeles Department of Public Health said the country will use different channels to make citizens aware of when it’s their turn:
“Of course we will work with the media to articulate the word. But beyond that, [we’ll be] together with healthcare providers, who will then contact their patients in that age group. We work with various organizations such as the GAAP and others. And we have a newsletter that everyone can subscribe to on our website. So we will use all the channels to try to get the word out. ‘
The website is VaccinateLACounty.com. YYou enter your email address in the gray box on the left side of the screen. When if you subscribe, you will be updated via the newsletter on which groups are currently eligible to receive the vaccine.
LONG BEACH
Residents of Long Beach 65 and older can already get the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, January 16th.
Appointments for this weekend’s first distribution clinic are already full, which’s why city officials say seniors should contact their healthcare providers first, or make a future appointment by email. [email protected] or call 562-570-INFO.
Anyone with an appointment must bring a pay stick or employee ID to prove they are a health worker or first responder, or an identification indicating that they are 65 years or older and that they live in Long Beach.
“If they do not have the proof we are asking for, then we ask them to come together,” Kelly Colopy, the city’s director of health and human services, told our news office “and therefore we have rejected quite a few people who come from outside the city, or in levels that are not yet served.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Long Beach began vaccinating employees of food services and grocery stores.
The city will also launch an online portal next week called Vax LB where residents can enter their information and be notified when it’s their turn to be vaccinated.
Long Beach has so far vaccinated 15,000 health workers and residents of nursing homes. The vaccine is expected to be administered to the general public early in the summer.
Tests can be scheduled online or by calling the City’s information line, 562.570.INFO (4636), between 09:00 and 17:00 on weekdays. Appointments are required and can be made up to three days in advance.
RIVIERLAND
Riverside County administered the COVID-19 vaccine to residents 65 and older on Thursday, January 14, in addition to frontline, essential workers in education, law enforcement and agriculture.
Brooke Federico, a Riverside County Public Information Officer, says residents there will have to prove they are eligible for the vaccine proof of employment by means of a payroll, a work ID or a token of employment, or a ‘work letter from your employer’ if you receive the vaccine for your work.
If you are 65 years of age or older, you will need an ID to confirm your age and indicate that you live in Riverside County.
Appointments are required. You can do this on the country’s health website, ruhealth.org. The website also contains a list of pharmacies and urgent care centers that provide the vaccine.
Note, however, that the slots at the provincial clinics will be filled within a few hours on Wednesday 13 January, so there will likely be initial technical brackets.
Health officials say residents should consult with their health care providers, if they have any, before signing up for the province’s holiday workplaces.
The province is also adding a notification feature to its website to alert people when more appointments open.
ORANGE COUNTRY
Orange County decides to state proposal to extend the distribution of vaccines to the age of 65+ Wednesday 13 January. As soon as officials make the announcement, more than 10,000 people planned appointments in less than two hours.
All the traffic has overloaded the Othena app and website, which handles the appointments.
The chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Andrew Do, acknowledged the issues and asked people to be patient:
“We are working on the technical side to increase the bandwidth to enable people to at least let us know we have it in the system. And then, if appropriate, we can send notifications to the people who qualify.”
He added that people who are eligible to be vaccinated should first contact their healthcare provider to see how they can be vaccinated through their healthcare network, rather than through a publicly run website.
Currently, if you visit the province Othena.com website, you must answer “yes” or “no” to “Do you live or work in Orange County?” and “Are you 65 or older?”.
If you click Yes on both, you will get the message “You are eligible to be vaccinated” and then register with your name, DOB, race / ethnicity, employer, e-mail address and telephone number. Then you get this message:
We went to Orange County’s health department for more information and have not heard of it yet.
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Officials announced Thursday, January 14, that all San Bernardino County residents 65 years and older are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
“We urge the community to be patient as we continue to receive doses from the state of California to serve our senior population and as we continue to vaccinate health care workers,” said Curt Hagman, chair of the Board of Supervisors, in a statement. .
At the same time, provincial officials say vaccine doses are currently scarce.
“The province will do everything in its power to push the state for the doses needed to quickly give vaccinations to every parent in San Bernardino County who wants and needs protection,” a spokesman said.
For now, they take appointments.
Residents of the province 65 and older can make appointments sbcovid19.com/vaccine.
Elderly people can also sign up for email and sms notifications to receive notifications about vaccination opportunities and other vaccination news through the link “Vaccine Notification for Vaccine Notice 65+” at sbcovid19.com/vaccineThose who need help with appointments or signing up for notifications can call the COVID-19 hotline from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at (909) 387-3911.
Monica Bushman, Megan Ngyugen, Fiona Ng and Gina Pollack contributed to this story.
Monica Bushman, Megan Ngyugen, Fiona Ng and Gina Pollack contributed to this story.