Worried about a COVID shot? The state will open meetings for everyone next week, but you may not even have to wait that long – if you’re willing to travel a few extra miles to get hit.
A handful of vaccination sites, facing an excess of shots, have opened their doors wide to all adults, regardless of age, employment status, medical history or where they live. All adults aged 16 and over in California will be eligible starting April 15, but until then, the demand for vaccinations and rules about who can get one varies widely from county to county and even from clinic to clinic. This means that finding an appointment has become something of an Easter egg hunt for determined vaccine seekers in the Gulf region, many of whom are too desperate to wait another week or worries will become even harder to obtain. after everyone in the state is entitled. The state also confirmed that it expects vaccine supplies to decline in the coming weeks, which is likely to delay first-dose appointments and increase anxiety.
UC Davis Medical Center this week began offering vaccines to all 1
“We have decided that it is better to hold these meetings with people who want to be vaccinated, instead of leaving empty slots while we wait for the calendar to turn into April 15,” spokeswoman Tricia Tomioshi wrote in an email. “Any vaccination is a step closer to ending this pandemic.”
The response was “astounding” and the meetings quickly filled up, including people coming from outside Sacramento County, although UC Davis did not keep track of how far anyone was driving. The center has since added more slots.
The hope to go to college, return to sports and travel again has motivated the younger generations to receive the # COVID19 vaccine. This week we started vaccinating everyone aged 16 and over and we are excited about the positive response we have seen. pic.twitter.com/Qu6O2gqJ7X
– UC Davis Health (@UCDavisHealth) April 7, 2021
Elsewhere, staff are removing age restrictions, but only for locals.
Alameda County offers COVID photos to all adults living in a dozen zip codes that are severely affected by the virus, regardless of age or occupation. These zip codes include neighborhoods in East Auckland, West Auckland, Hayward and San Leandro.
“Many of our key frontline workers and their families live in these priority zip codes – often in crowded and multi-generational households,” said Neetu Balram, a spokesman for Alameda County Public Health. “This approach helps us achieve our goals of justice and serve communities that have borne a disproportionate burden throughout the pandemic.”
A Santa Clara County spokesman said residents aged 16 and over could sign up for next week’s meetings from Thursday – but some who have tried report problems and a lack of openings.
And Fresno County on Thursday opened vaccinations for everyone aged 16 and over, citing a lull in demand, The Fresno Bee reported.
Although many local counties may not receive nearly enough doses of vaccine for anyone who wants a shot, this is not the case everywhere. The CVS website on Thursday showed meetings available in Bakersfield and Eureka, but nowhere in the Gulf region.
Cal State Bakersfield puts shots in the hands of people who are young and healthy and may not qualify for other facilities, forcing people from Los Angeles County to flock to the university, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Bakersfield Vaccination Center gives priority to Kern County residents, according to a spokesman for Kaiser Permanente, who helps run the site.
But “when capacity is available in our vaccine schedule, as well as vaccine supply, we will accept people who wish to be vaccinated on an entry basis, including outside the area,” spokesman Terry Canakri wrote in an email. “As more people who qualify for Kern County register for the vaccine, entry vaccinations are likely to decrease or eventually end.”
Similarly, young, healthy vaccine hunters may be lucky enough to visit a mass vaccination site in Cal State Los Angeles over the next few days. Because the state is transferring control of the Los Angeles site, there may be a “small number” of unused kidnapping meetings for people 18 and older, according to Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the governor’s emergency services.
For many people who want to get vaccinated, a long trip to work is nothing. Nelson Tracy, a 28-year-old documentary filmmaker in Los Angeles, said he was eligible for a shot in late March because he was doing side tutoring. After failing to find a meeting in Los Angeles County, he tried Orange County, about a 45-minute drive from his home, with no traffic.
“It took a few clicks, but I found an appointment in a few minutes,” he said. He even had to choose how many hours he wanted to go.
Tracy now has an appointment for her second shot from Pfizer on Sunday.
“I felt lucky,” he said, “and I was ready to be too good to be true.”
