Yuba-sutter expanding vaccine eligibility to all adults

Yuba-sutter residents 18 years and older are now eligible to register for COVID-19 vaccines through countysponsored clinics.

The announcement comes weeks before the state planned to expand vaccine eligibility to all adults (as well as ages 16 and 17), which was planned for April 15. Yuba County Media and Community Relations Coordinator Russ Brown said vaccine registration has been slowing down a bit recently, which is the reason local health officials expanded eligibility early.

“The age limit is set at 18 because the Johnson & Johnson vaccine being offered, like Moderna, is only approved for that age range,” Brown said. “Currently, only Pfizer is approved for individuals as young as 16, and

the county clinics do not currently carry that vaccine for first dose clinics.”

Brown said there are many partner health care facilities and pharmacies in the area that are also offering the vaccine to residents, so there are plenty of options other than the county-sponsored clinics. Information about availability and how to

register can be found at yuba.org/vaccines or suttercounty.org/vaccine.

“There are still plenty of spots open at Saturday’s clinic, although we anticipate it will fill up quickly with the removal of barriers,” Brown said on Thursday afternoon. “This clinic offers the onedose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, so it’s even more convenient because you won’t have to come back.”

Now that both Yuba

County and Sutter County are in the state’s red tier, Brown said each county would need to drop its metrics below 4 new daily cases per 100,000 people, as well as see its test positivity dip below

4.9 percent to qualify for the next less restrictive tier (orange).

As of Thursday afternoon, Sutter County was averaging 7.8 new daily cases per 100,000 people with a test positivity

rate of 3.3 percent. Yuba County was averaging

4.3 new daily cases per 100,000 people with a test positivity rate of 3.4 percent.

“Both Yuba and Sutter have had days/weeks with orange-tier qualifying numbers but remember,

we have to hold those metrics for at least two weeks, and the state outlines that counties can’t skip tiers but have to move through each less restrictive tier at a time,” Brown said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the

1-800-893-9555

Yuba-sutter area increased by 24 on Thursday. There are currently 126 open cases in the area.

Fourteen people were hospitalized as of Thursday evening, while 16 virus cases closed. To date, 142 local deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

Para más información en cómo este cambio impactará su factura, llame al

1-800-660-6789

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