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Vaccinations available in Contra Costa County to everyone who is 16 or older
Contra Costa County became the first Bay Area county to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone who is 16 or older. This is faster than the California timeline which calls for making the doses available to 16-year-olds starting April 15.
MARTINEZ, Calif. - Public health officials in Contra County announced Tuesday morning that vaccine eligibility is now open to anyone 16 years and older.
An increased vaccine supply from the state and federal governments means the county can open eligibility to people in the 16-49 age range, according to Contra Costa County Health Director Anna Roth.
"This is a great day because that means that anyone who is an adult that wants to get vaccinated can in Contra Costa County," said Diane Burgis, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.
Contra Costa County Health Services said there are available appointments at community clinics. The county had announced yesterday that it intended to quickly expand the eligibility guidelines for vaccinations.
County health officials said they finally started receiving additional vaccine doses from the federal government. So far this week, Contra Costa County has received 84,500 total doses of vaccine from the state and federal governments, about 30,000 more than just the week before.
"We expected to increase this month, vaccines are starting to increase this month. I expect that they’ll continue to increase and we expect more vaccines will become more abundant and more available in the weeks ahead," said Roth.
On KTVU's The Four, County Supervisor John Gioia said 45% of Contra Costa County residents 16 and over have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. He said the county's goal is to have administered one million doses by the end of May. They have already delivered about 640,000, the supervisor said.
Sup. Gioia encouraged people to sign up for their vaccine appointments through the county website, since the state is not opening up the Myturn.ca.gov site to this specific population. "Get vaccinated. That's how we out-run the variants that are spreading and how we get greater community immunity." He was sure to note elderly populations will be prioritized as well as hard-hit and more vulnerable communities from an equity standpoint.
Those wanting to book a vaccine appointment at a county clinic can click here or call 1-833-VAX-COCO (1-833-829-2626).