Contra Costa County expects to give the coronavirus vaccine this week to everyone aged 16 and over, who lives or works in the county, as it expects an increase in supply from the state and federal government, the county health department announced Sunday.
The move would make Contra Costa County the first in the bay area to offer such a large qualification for a life-saving shot. Contra Costa Health Services said in a news release on its website on Sunday: “CCHS expects to open eligibility for those aged 16 and over this weekend. The timing of that decision will depend on how quickly you make an appointment for the next appointment. “
Spokesman Carl Fisher clarified that the decision is not yet final and that health officials over the weekend will call for an expansion of the pool of qualified people, depending on whether the expected vaccine supply actually arrives and how quickly these appointments are rolled out.
The county has thousands of appointments for weeks at its community clinics, the news release said. County Supervisor John Gioia told The Chronicle that if they don’t fill out, the county will consider eligibility for people under 16.
“We want to use the vaccine to get it into the arms as quickly as possible, because ultimately we vaccinate as many people as possible, especially with the proliferation of variants,” he said, referring to the rapidly evolving coronavirus. Emerging and spreading.
The county now urges anyone who qualifies to beat the oncoming rush to book an appointment as soon as possible. Currently, those eligible for this shot are people over the age of 50 who live or work in the county, those over the age of 16 who have a health risk, high, disability or illness, and some essential workers.
If the county moves forward with action this week, the same expansion in the state government’s eligibility guidelines will take place some two weeks ago, announced by Governor Gavin News on Thursday. The state is recommending that counties provide shots to everyone 16 years of age starting April 15 and to everyone 50 and older by Thursday this week.
Contra Costa Health Services warns that increasing vaccine eligibility usually leads to long delays in appointments and limited availability.
Those who are currently eligible are entitled to Chechelth.r.co. / Coronavirus is strongly encouraged to beat the rush by requesting an appointment as soon as possible, using the county’s request online request form or by calling 1-833-829-2626.
Contra Costa County is ahead of many counties in vaccinating residents, and last week opened appointments for people aged 50 and over.
In addition to getting vaccine supplies from the state, the county has benefited from having 11 federal-quality health centers, focusing on the underworld population, such as the West County Health Center’s mass vaccination site in San Pablo, receiving directly allocated vaccines, Geo said. Federal Government. Some other counties have said their supply is so tight and unpredictable that they are concerned that they will only be able to meet demand quickly with a population of 50 or more.
Contra Costa County received more than 75,000 doses last week, but it is not yet known how much it will receive this week, Fisher said.
As of Sunday, 97% of its 75% population had been vaccinated, according to county data, and a quarter of those over 16 years of age. Debbie Toth, president of the nonprofit Choice at Aging in Contra Costa, said almost all older people are vaccinated for the services they offer. , “A handful of people are afraid.”
“I’m not stressed that people in need don’t get it,” Tothe said.
Mallory Monch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: mallorymoench
