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Contra Costa County on Tuesday expanded eligibility for coronavirus vaccinations to all people 16 and older, becoming the first in the Bay Area and one of the first major counties in the state to offer vaccines to all arrivals.
The move brings together the roughly 1.2 million residents of Contra Costa County and a dozen states that have opened up vaccination to people 16 and over. This marks an early start to the so-called open vaccine season, at least in one corner of the Bay Area, and gives about two weeks warning of California’s target date for doing so statewide.
The county was also one of the first to extend vaccinations to people 50 and over, which it did last week, ahead of the state’s plan to do so on Thursday.
The expansion means there are no longer any eligibility requirements – such as age, employment, or underlying medical conditions – for people who live or work in Contra Costa County, to must be at least 16 years old. get vaccinated, depending on the county.
“I’m grateful that my whole family is eligible,” said Scott Bloom, 51. The Pleasant Hill dad-of-two was among the first of the newly expanded age group to get the shot on Tuesday, and he has marked dates for his two children as well.
Bloom said he was made aware of the extended eligibility through an email sent by Supervisor Karen Mitchoff; he used the county’s MyChart app. to find appointments.
“It gives us peace of mind,” Bloom said.
County officials are urging residents to request vaccine appointments by filling out an online request form. People have to live or work in the county to qualify for the shots. It appears that many, but not all, vaccination sites in the county are accepting appointment requests from the newly expanded group as young as 16.
The county did not immediately respond to whether newly eligible people will need to make appointments through the county system or whether they can also do so through private providers. A private provider, John Muir, said he has yet to expand to 16 and over, although he plans to do so in April. However, county-run sites account for over 70% of the county’s total vaccination capacity, and people do not have to go through their regular providers to get vaccinated.
County community health clinics currently have thousands of appointments available, the county said in a statement on Tuesday, urging people over 16, now eligible for the state’s next extension for those over 16. years, April 15, to register.
“The appointments were sold out almost immediately,” Bloom said. “I am the first person I know to take advantage of this new eligibility.”
About 27% of county residents between the ages of 16 and 49 have already been vaccinated because they were eligible for other reasons, such as being an essential worker or having underlying conditions, officials said.
While the vaccine supply comes more from state and federal governments – the county received 84,500 doses this week, an increase of 30,000 doses from last week – people may not be able to get vaccinated. immediately even if they are eligible. The county is prioritizing people who live in low-income areas, which typically have higher infection rates, and plans to open walk-in clinics at the Richmond Auditorium and Health Center soon. from Bay Point.
“Will we have equipment to vaccinate 375,000 next week?” Probably not, ”Contra Costa County Deputy Health Director Dr Ori Tzvieli said in a briefing Tuesday. Supply is expected to catch up with demand in a few weeks, he said.
“We currently have 20,000 appointments open and start sending out tickets today,” he said. But over the next three to four weeks, I predict that we, along with our partners La Clinica, LifeLong, community pharmacies, Kaiser, John Muir, Sutter – we are all going to vaccinate 100,000 doses per week. In a few weeks we will be able to resolve the backlog. Please be patient with us. “
Contra Costa isn’t the first county in California to offer injections to people as young as 16. Butte County said on Monday it was doing so, and its health director said a few other small counties in northern California had also taken the plunge before Monday.
Bloom said that even after her children get vaccinated, they will not stop following established coronavirus mitigation measures.
“I think it’s too early to say if the vaccine will prevent us from another outbreak, so I think our lifestyles will be similar for at least a little longer,” he said. “For my son, who is an athlete, I know he was worried and now he can play with less anxiety.
Contra Costa County has been able to expand eligibility faster than many other counties in part because of the way the county operates community health clinics known as federally qualified health centers. , the county said. These health centers – which include networks of clinics like LifeLong Medical Care and La Clinica – have recently started receiving more vaccines directly from the federal government through the Health Resources and Services Administration, which is part of the US Department of Health. Health and Social Services.
“Removing barriers of all kinds, including confusing eligibility criteria, is an important step in pursuing our equity goals,” said Anna Roth, Contra Costa County Health Director, in a statement. “It’s an important day.”
In Contra Costa County, these clinics are run by the county, which has freezers that can store the Pfizer vaccine. The Federal Health Resources Administration currently has plenty of Pfizer vaccine, but can only give it to vaccination sites that can store the doses, requiring ultra-cold temperatures. This suggests one reason why federally qualified health centers in Contra Costa County may receive more vaccines than federally qualified centers in other counties, which do not run all clinics locally.
Last week, after the county expanded vaccine eligibility to all 50 and over, the demand for vaccine appointments grew rapidly, according to John Muir Health, a senior county vaccinator. Within 24 hours of the announcement, 90% of vaccine appointments were booked and there were only a few free spots left on Tuesday, health system spokesman Ben Drew said.
Simply expanding eligibility to everyone, without streamlining the registration process, could mean low-income communities most in need of vaccines still won’t be able to access them, said Dr. Michael Stacey, physician. chief of LifeLong Medical Care, which leads the community. clinics in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. This is already happening, he said, because many in these communities do not have Internet access or smartphones to constantly check appointments. He said the county should offer more vaccine options that don’t require online reservations, like walk-in or walk-in clinics, and restrict vaccination at those sites to people who actually live in those locations. communities.
“I worry when the criteria are broadened and the process has not been facilitated to obtain these nominations,” he said. “There are still a lot of people at high risk in the affected communities who still haven’t had access, real access, to immunization. I believe that people in these communities want to get vaccinated, if it was just easier to get vaccinated. “
Chronicle writer Aidin Vaziri contributed to this story.
Catherine Ho is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @Cat_Ho
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