Nearly a third of eligible Kern residents have received at least one vaccine dose
Almost one-third of Kern County is now at least partially vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus, according to the latest figures provided by the county last week.
That’s a more than 50 percent jump from two weeks earlier, when just 18 percent of the eligible population had been vaccinated. The bump is likely a result of the expansion of eligibility for the vaccine in Kern County to include anyone over 16.
There has also been a boost in vaccine supply. The county received 40,000 doses the week before, a new high.
“We’ve seen a very large increase in number of people making appointments to get vaccinated this week,” said Kern County Public Health Services Director Brynn Carrigan. “So we just want to continue to encourage anyone who resides in or works in Kern to get vaccinated.”
According to the public health department, there are about 688,000 county residents age 16 and over. As of Thursday, about
117,000 had been fully vaccinated, meaning they had received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Another 93,000 had received only the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
Statewide, about 46 percent of the population has been at least partially vaccinated, according to the latest data.
In Kern County, Latinos have received 36 percent of vaccine doses administered, followed by whites with 29 percent. About 30 percent of total vaccine doses have gone to those 65 and over, while 41.6 percent have gone to those ages 18-49, followed by 27 percent for ages 50-64.
The county public health department reports that 46 percent of all residents over 65 are fully vaccinated.