Hundreds of thousands of Californians 16 years and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines this week as provinces and health systems across the state expand their fitness ahead of schedule.
Officials in Riverside and Kern counties made the surprise announcement Monday, as did UC Davis Health in Sacramento. San Bernardino County followed its own announcement Tuesday.
For the record:
13:37, 06 April 2021An earlier version of this article said that UC Davis Health in Sacramento will offer COVID-19 vaccines to those over the age of 16 starting Wednesday. That fitness change began Tuesday.
“This is really important news,” said Riverside County spokeswoman Brooke Federico. ‘This is really something we’ve been waiting for some time to show that we can qualify for all our residents who are available to get it per manufacturer – and keep going, moving out of this pandemic. ”
All four changes come before California’s plan to enroll residents ages 16 and older from April 15.
San Bernardino County spokeswoman Felisa Cardona said the province had successfully vaccinated hundreds of thousands of residents and that new cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations were rapidly declining.
“We believe it is time to open appointments for everyone in the province,” she said, noting that the decision ‘is simply because we have the ability to serve our residents.’
The Pfizer vaccine is currently approved for people aged 16 and 17, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available for 18-year-olds and older. In San Bernardino, the Pfizer vaccine is used on public health sites and on OptumServe sites, Cardona said.
Kern County officials attribute the change to an increase in inventory and a slowdown in vaccine appointments.
About 46% of Kern’s 65 and older population is now fully vaccinated, compared to 34% nationwide. The province expects to receive more than 39,000 doses this week.
Natalie Frieson, 24, a resident of Kern County, said the expansion is a welcome change.
“This means we can return to a normal society much sooner, and hopefully fewer vaccines will expire,” she said.
Appointments are available this week at the Kern County Fairgrounds Mass Vaccination Center, officials said, and can be booked through the state’s My Turn system.
“I am very relieved to know that our public health officials realized that we could extend the qualification before the state’s date on April 15, when they could decide to wait just the extra week,” Frieson said.
Over the past seven days, Kern County has had an average of 50 COVID-19 new cases per day – a decrease of 41% from two weeks ago.
Further north in Sacramento, UC Davis Health officials also announced plans to qualify for residents 16 years and older this week.
“Our decision to expand the vaccine opportunities stems from the fact that over the past few days we have found that we are not getting enough people from the state’s My Turn website and other places to fill all our available appointments,” he said. Charles Davis Health spokesman Charles Casey said Tuesday. “That’s why we decided to move to the next level to make sure we use all the vaccines.”
Anyone aged 16 and over will be eligible for the university system from Tuesday. The rest of Sacramento County remains on track to expand to the broader group on April 15th.
Officials in Riverside, one of California’s largest provinces, attributed their expansion to an increase in inventory. Last week, the country administered its 1 million dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
“There is more vaccine available now, and if we are eligible, we will move even further towards our goal of vaccinating the majority of our residents,” said Karen Spiegel, the province’s second district superintendent. “Vaccination works best when the majority of the population ingests it.”
The expansion coincides with the development of Riverside County to the orange level of the state’s color code reopening system. Although COVID-19 numbers are significantly lower than during the fall and winter pushes, the country reports a slight increase in cases, especially among residents aged 18 to 40.
Over the past seven days, Riverside has seen an average of 195 new COVID-19 cases per day, up 59% from two weeks ago, according to The Times tracker.
“The expansion of fitness will vaccinate the last large group of Riverside County adults, bringing us one step closer to herd immunity,” Riverside County Director of Public Health Kim Saruwatari said in a statement. said. “Bringing the vaccine to a younger population, where there is an increase in cases, is a big step forward.”
Riverside County residents were delighted with the news.
“I’m very happy about the expansion to all adults,” Liz Madsen, 44, of Hemet said Tuesday. “The more people who are vaccinated, the better, especially now because the cases are booming.”
Madsen said she could easily make an appointment for her Moderna admission at Tahquitz High School.
“I was worried over the past year about how difficult it would be to get the vaccine, but it was so easy that it was almost anticlimactic,” she said. “My entire household will be fully vaccinated on April 30, and we are so incredibly relieved and excited.”
Residents aged 16 and 17 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, but they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to be vaccinated, officials said.
From Tuesday noon, hundreds of appointment slots was open throughout Riverside County, including locations in the Palm Springs Convention Center and Indio Fairgrounds.