Registration full for today’s clinic

Registration filled up on Friday morning for this weekend’s countysponsored COVID-19 vaccine clinic, where 1,200 doses will be administered to eligible Yuba-sutter residents.

Bi-county Health

Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said it is exciting to see more people getting vaccinated, which will bring the community closer to herd immunity.

“It’s been a tough year for our community, so it’s promising to see so many residents ready for their vaccines and ready to move forward,” she said.

For the time being, local public health officials are in charge of allocating vaccine resources to the healthcare clinics and pharmacies around the community, but in the coming weeks the process will be taken over by a third-party administrator, Blue Cross Blue Shield. Luu said it’s unclear exactly when that transition will take place, though the latest update from Blue Cross Blue

Shield is that the YubaSutter area will be brought on board by late March.

Luu said her team remains focused on vaccine rollout and is proud of the work local public health teams have done thus far.

“Our numbers continue to improve, but I hope residents remember last summer and fall with the precariousness of those numbers,” Luu said. “It’s important to remain vigilant despite improvement. That’s the only way we will see our businesses opening up, our hospital from being overwhelmed as it was just months ago, and lives saved.”

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Yuba-sutter area increased by 32 on Friday, bringing the total to 14,610 cases. There are currently 323 active cases in the area.

Twenty-six people were hospitalized as of Friday evening, while 31 people recovered from COVID-19. To date, 134 Yuba-sutter residents have died from the virus.

One death was reported on Friday.