LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, four months after the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine began to be administered in the state of California, officials threw open the doors to allow every person age 16 and above to be vaccinated.
The state has increasingly loosened restrictions on who can get the vaccine thanks to increasing supply and more vaccines coming on the market.
California previously expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to individuals aged 50 and older starting April 1.
Officials said the eligibility expansion comes as California reaches major milestones in its vaccine rollout: Nearly half of all residents in the 16 and older population have already received at least one dose, including 73.9 percent of seniors aged 65 and older.
As of Thursday, more than 24 million doses have been administered in California, with 4.9 million doses administered in the hardest hit communities.
The statewide provider network now has the capacity to administer up to six million vaccine doses a week, according to its third-party administrator Blue Shield of California.
“Thanks to the hard work of Californians who followed public health guidelines, our case rates and hospitalizations are among the lowest they’ve been since the start of the pandemic,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
However, Newsom said the work is far from over. “California will need all hands on deck to keep up this progress, and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccinating all of those who are eligible will take time, but our statewide providers are ready to meet the increased demand and we are excited to get this vaccine into the arms of all Californians who want them, especially those in the hardest hit communities.”
California’s eligibility expansion meets a nationwide deadline set by President Joe Biden that all adults in the U.S. be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by April 19.
“As these life-saving vaccines put the worst behind us, it is important to not let our guard down, even after being fully vaccinated,” said Director of the California Department of Public Health and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón. “We urge Californians to continue wearing face coverings, practice physical distancing, limit extended indoor activities with others, and follow all the best practices to stop the spread of COVID-19 to help protect your friends, family and neighbors.”
Officials have been focusing on allocating COVID-19 vaccines to ensure equitable distribution.
Last month, the state began directing 40 percent of vaccine doses to the hardest-hit areas of the state based on the lowest quartile of the Public Health Alliance of Southern California’s Healthy Places Index.
Six of Lake County’s zip codes – for the communities of Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Finley, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake – are among 446 that were targeted for increased vaccine supply due to being in the Healthy Places Index’s lowest-performing quartile, as Lake County News has reported.
This week, the state said it reached the 4.9 million mark in doses administered in those hard-hit communities across California.
The local picture
Sarah Marikos, Lake County’s epidemiologist, said this week that 43 percent of Lake County residents aged 16 and older are partially vaccinated, with more than 22,000 people having received at least one dose.
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health gave a precise number of doses administered by county of residence, totaling 34,259 for Lake County.
Dr. Evan Bloom, who is interim Public Health officer while Dr. Gary Pace is on vacation, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that new case numbers locally are on a downward trajectory,
While there are viral variants circulating in Lake County – a fact state and local health officials first confirmed earlier this year – Bloom said the immunity that is derived from the vaccines that are being administered still holds against the variants.
Bloom said the positive COVID-19 cases now being reported in Lake County are in people who are not fully vaccinated, which is why health officials continue to focus on vaccinating residents.
“This is the best way forward to protect our residents of Lake County against COVID-19,” Bloom said.
Individuals seeking an opportunity to get vaccinated may still need to wait for an appointment. Eligible residents can visit https://myturn.ca.gov/ – which is available in 12 languages – to find and schedule available appointments or call the COVID-19 hotline at 833-422-4255; assistance is available in more than 250 languages.
All COVID-19 vaccines are free regardless of immigration or health insurance status. Residents with questions about the vaccines can visit https://www.vaccinateall58.com/ to learn more.
In addition to being vaccinated through the state signup process, Adventist Health and Sutter Health are hosting vaccine clinics for all eligible community members, not just their registered patients. Contact Adventist Health at 707-995-4500 or Sutter Health at 844-987-6115 or https://www.sutterhealth.org/for-patients/health-alerts/covid-19-vaccine for more information.
Lake County Tribal Health Consortium continues to vaccinate its patients. For information, visit http://www.lcthc.com/ or call 707-263-8382.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.