Early opening up of vaccine access
More than half of California’s local health departments have opened up coronavirus vaccinations to people 16 or older, or in some cases 18 and older, ahead of the state’s Thursday “open season” target date to do so.
At least 32 of the 60 local health jurisdictions — which are mostly counties, plus a couple cities that have their own health departments, like Berkeley — have taken the early step, expanding vaccine eligibility to people as young as either 16 or 18, according to the California Department of Public Health and research by The Chronicle.
Of the 60 jurisdictions, 25 already are opening the vaccination doors to those 16 and older. Seven have expanded to people 18 and older. The three vaccines available in the U.S., made by
Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are all authorized in the United States for people as young as 18, but only Pfizer is authorized for teens as young as 16.
Most of these jurisdictions are letting younger people get their shots as soon as they can snag an appointment, while others may be opening up the ability to schedule appointments before Thursday — for slots that themselves occur Thursday or later.
In the Bay Area, Contra Costa County became one of the first large counties in the state to open up eligibility to all comers, on March 30. Alameda County and the city of Berkeley recently followed suit.
Counties and cities with people 16 and older eligible:
⏩ Alameda
Berkeley (city) Butte Calaveras Contra Costa Del Norte Fresno Humboldt Imperial Kern
Kings
Long Beach (city) Madera Modoc Mono Nevada Riverside San Bernardino
San Luis Obispo Santa Barbara Shasta Stanislaus Tehama Tulare Tuolumne
18 and older eligible:
Alpine Amador Lassen Mariposa Plumas Sutter/Yuba Trinity