Riverside and Kern counties open up COVID-19 vaccines to 16 and over

Hundreds of thousands of Californians 16 and older become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines this week as counties and state health systems expand their eligibility ahead of schedule.

Officials from Riverside and Kern counties made the surprise announcement on Monday, as did UC Davis Health in Sacramento. San Bernardino County followed suit with its own announcement on Tuesday.

“This is really important news,” Riverside County spokesperson Brooke Federico said. “It’s really something we’ve been waiting for a while to show that we can open eligibility to all of our residents who are available to get it from the manufacturer – and again, keep moving forward.” , get out of this pandemic. “

The four changes come ahead of California’s plan to extend statewide eligibility to residents 16 and older as of April 15.

San Bernardino County spokeswoman Felisa Cardona said the county has successfully vaccinated hundreds of thousands of residents and has seen new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decline rapidly.

“We think it’s time to open up appointments for everyone in the county,” she said, stressing that the decision was “just because we have the capacity to serve our residents”.

Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is approved for people aged 16 and 17, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available for people 18 and older. In San Bernardino, the Pfizer vaccine is used at public health sites and State OptumServe sites, Cardona said.

Kern County officials attributed the change to increased supplies and slower appointments for vaccines.

About 46% of Kern’s population aged 65 and over is now fully vaccinated, compared to 34% statewide. The county expects to receive more than 39,000 doses this week.

Kern County resident Natalie Frieson, 24, said the expansion was a welcome change.

“It means we can get back to a normal society much sooner, and hopefully fewer vaccines will expire,” she said.

Appointments are available this week at the Kern Fairgrounds County Mass Vaccination Site, 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 were able to expand eligibility before the April 15 state date when they could have decided to wait until the week. extra, ”Frieson said.

Over the past seven days, Kern County has reported an average of 50 new cases of COVID-19 per day – a decrease of 41% compared to two weeks ago.

Further north in Sacramento, UC Davis Health officials also announced plans to expand vaccine eligibility to residents 16 and older this week.

“Our decision to expand vaccine options stems from the fact that over the past few days we have found that we are not getting enough people from the state website in turn and other places to fill all of them. our appointments available, ”UC Davis Health spokesman Charles Casey said Tuesday. “So we decided to take it to the next level to make sure we were using all the vaccines we have.”

Anyone 16 and over is eligible through the university system starting Tuesday. The rest of Sacramento County remains on track to expand to the larger group on April 15.

Officials at Riverside, one of California’s largest counties, attributed their expansion to increased supplies. Last week, the county administered its millionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“More vaccines are available now, and opening eligibility will allow us to move even further towards our goal of vaccinating the majority of our residents,” said Karen Spiegel, County Second District Supervisor. “The vaccine works best when the majority of the population takes it.”

The expansion coincides with Riverside County’s advance towards the orange level of the state’s color-coded reopening system. Although the number of COVID-19 remains significantly lower than the fall and winter surge, the county is reporting a slight increase in cases, especially among residents between the ages of 18 and 40.

Over the past seven days, Riverside has recorded an average of 195 new COVID-19 cases per day, a 59% increase from two weeks ago, according to the Times tracking.

“The expansion of eligibility will allow the last major group of adult residents of Riverside County to get vaccinated and bring us closer to herd immunity,” Riverside County Director of Public Health Kim Saruwatari said, in a press release. “Bringing the vaccine to a younger population, where we have seen an increase in cases, is a big step forward.”

The people of Riverside County rejoiced at the news.

“I am very happy with the extension to all adults,” said Liz Madsen, 44, of Hemet on Tuesday. “The more people who get vaccinated, the better, especially right now, as cases are on the rise.”

Madsen said she was easily able to make an appointment for her photo of Moderna at Tahquitz High School.

“I spent the last year wondering how difficult it would be to get the vaccine, but it was so easy, it was almost disappointing,” she said. “My whole family will be fully immunized on April 30, and we are incredibly relieved and excited.”

Residents between the ages of 16 and 17 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine but will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to be vaccinated, officials said.

From Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of meeting slots were open throughout Riverside County, including venues at the Palm Springs Convention Center and Indio Fairgrounds.