Contra Costa County health officials announced Tuesday that COVID-19 vaccines are now available to all county residents age 16 and older.
County officials opened vaccine eligibility to all of the county’s adults prior to the state’s target date of April 15 due in part to an abundance of vaccine doses allocated by the federal government.
The county took similar action last week, opening eligibility to residents age 50 and older regardless of whether they have a high-risk medical condition or work in an essential industry. The county is now the first in the state to make vaccines available to all adult residents.
In the coming days and weeks, county officials say they plan to eliminate the current vaccine appointment registration process in favor of making vaccine doses available on a walk-in basis at vaccination sites like the Richmond Auditorium and the Bay Point Health Center.
The county will also continue to work with state officials to ensure areas that have been hardest-hit by the pandemic have greater access to the vaccine.
“Since we gave the first dose in our county on Dec. 15, getting vaccine to everyone and anyone has been our top priority,” county health director Anna Roth said in a media release announcing the eligibility change.
“Removing barriers of all kinds, including confusing eligibility criteria is an important step in furthering our equity goals. This is an important day.”
According to county health officials, thousands of vaccination appointments are available at the county’s community clinics this week. The county received nearly 85,000 vaccine doses this week.
Expanding vaccine access to all residents 16 and up will add some 375,000 residents to the pool of those eligible, according to county officials.
Roughly 630,000 vaccine doses have been administered countywide. County officials have set a goal to administer 1 million doses by May 31.
Amid increased vaccinations and falling COVID-19 rates, the county also expects to move into the orange tier next week, enabling the county to increase indoor capacity for various businesses and reopen bars outdoors.
Roth said filling vaccine appointments as quickly as possible will help spur additional reopenings and keep the county from having to lock down for a third time.
“Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week that his goal was to move the state quickly through the eligibility tiers,” she said. “We agree and applaud this goal. We have appointments to fill. By expanding eligibility now, we can ensure that no appointments go unused.”
Residents age 16 and older can request a vaccine appointment at cchealth.org/coronavirus or by calling (833) 829-2626. Residents are encouraged to use the online request form to save time.
County residents can also visit https://www.coronavirus.cchealth.org/appointment-guide for information on helping friends, family and neighbors get access to the vaccine.
““Governor Gavin Newsom announced last week that his goal was to move the state quickly through the eligibility tiers,” she said. “We agree and applaud this goal. We have appointments to fill. By expanding eligibility now, we can ensure that no appointments go unused.”
Keep patting yourself on your back….for doing your job. So gross.
I went to WalMart in Martinez this afternoon and noticed that the pharmacy is now giving Covid-19 shots, with an appointment. That was a bit of a surprise, since I hadn’t heard that WalMart was giving the shots. Mass vaccination sites like Waterworld in Concord will put a lot of shots in arms, but I think many people will prefer to go to WalMart, CVS or Walgreens, where they regularly pick up other prescriptions.
@WC—Creeker let me first state that I dislike Newsom more than anyone, but you saying “Keep patting yourself on your back….for doing your job. So gross.” Makes no sense at all. If he wouldn’t be doing his job what would you say? “Newsom just getting his paycheck without doing his job, so gross”? It invalidates your point, it makes no sense.
By stating the goal is to move through the eligibility tiers quickly it highlights two issues.
1) That the goal is not health and safety. Because it if was, then the goal should not be to move through the tiers quickly but to move through them as makes sense from a health and safety standpoint
or
2) That if the goal is health and safety, then the fact that the tiers can be moved through quickly means they weren’t necessary for health and safety.
Either way, it’s pretty much what we all knew. That come about May of last year everyone realized that there was no reason to let the disaster go to waste if it could be politically manipulated for gain. Wonder how he would be feeling about moving the state quickly through the tiers if he wasn’t facing a recall…..
how bout a little positive reaction instead of whining and b*tching…for newsom or against, for vax or not, this is a step forward to get back to normalcy. if u dont like cali and the rules move to texas!
You move. I’m 5th generation Californian, I ain’t going anywhere. Get back to normal started April 2020, as soon as we realized this COVID is a HOAX. Just like 1918. Newsom is a cold blooded communist and a killer. You can go back to where you came from. This is MAGA county.
Under 25 the fatality rate is in the range of ten thousandths of a percent. Young people don’t need it and it’s healthier and more efficacious if they get exposed and recover. Mileage may vary, if the vaccinated shed viral particles of mutations that weren’t effected by the vaccine, of course we’ll see a rise in mutations that become more infectious and deadly as the “competition” gets snuffed out.
I suspect the county and state heath authorities are finding a significant number of people are not interested in getting vaccinated which is why they are opening the age ranges so quickly. I did not click to read the articles but there were news headlines last week about 49% of Republican males have said they would not get vaccinated. That’s freeing up many slots for those that feel the vaccine is effective.
FWIW – Yesterday the CDC released a study that the two-shot versions of the vaccine are what they call sterilizing vs. the one shot version which are neutralizing. The difference is that with a sterilizing vaccine is that 90% of recipients will not be infected if exposed. Historically, most vaccines are neutralizing meaning you do get infected if exposed but will not come down with as severe an illness compared to if you were not vaccinated. The CDC report is technical but is at https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7013e3.htm
I think that number (who say they won’t get it) is going to go down over time.
Man’s skin ‘peeled off’ in rare reaction to Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine
https://nypost.com/2021/03/30/mans-skin-peeled-off-in-reaction-to-johnson-johnson-covid-vax/
A rash that was not appealing
Big pharma is looking for younger guinea pigs 😉 to finish genetic experiment by the end of the year. You won’t get any health benefits, but you can get your donut every day🤭
Call for younger “guinea pigs”😉
Have fun shooting up a mystery serum with zero manufacturer liability, you poor fools.
They just skipped animal trails and use YOU as animal. Think about that.
Newsom is trying to prepare for his removal from the governors office soon by paying any and all political consultant groups to help stop his inevitable recall. His supposed leadership thru last few years has been pathetic! Uncontrolled wild Fires, Covid, EDD failures, 5 billion to China for no masks. Kids not allowed in schools, businesses closed. Billions of our tax dollars to anyone but us who are actually paying for it! Oh yes, let’s have much more of that! Let’s hope the masses can see thru all his failures. Please vote for someone who can improve on that. Or we will see the same results……