Vaccination clinics spread throughout county as those 65 years or older become eligible
As more and more Kern County residents become eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, the number of distribution sites has expanded.
On Friday, Kern County Public Health Services published a list of all vaccine locations in an effort to assist the public in finding convenient spots to be vaccinated. Spokeswoman Michelle Corson said the public should refer to the department’s website for the most up-to-date list as the locations change frequently.
Visit kernpublichealth.com for more information.
The county recently moved into Phase 1b of the vaccine distribution plan, meaning all individuals 65 and older are now eligible. This complements healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities, who have been receiving vaccinations for several weeks.
In a separate news release, Clinica Sierra Vista announced it would be providing Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in Kern’s rural communities starting Monday.
“We have been actively vaccinating our health care heroes for the past several weeks. We are excited to begin offering this life-saving vaccine to the public,” Dr. Olga Meave, chief medical officer at Clinica Sierra Vista, said in a news release. “Once we get going with patients in this current tier, we can begin offering the vaccine to essential workers very soon.”
The vaccinations will be available at several Clinica Sierra Vista locations in Bakersfield and Fresno, the release said, as well as at CVS stores in rural parts of Kern County.
“It’s important that we reach out to residents living in outlying areas in the Central Valley who don’t have access to transportation,” Tim Calahan, director of public relations at Clinica, said in a statement. “We will hold rotating vaccination clinics to cover patients and residents living in outlying areas such as Frazier park, Lamont and the Kern River Valley.”
Adventist Health Tehachapi also said it would begin vaccinating those 65 years and older at its facility.
“Adventist Health Tehachapi wants to provide our community with expert, quality care here at home. Our mission is to live in God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope. That’s why we want to provide these crucial COVID-19 vaccine clinics to those in our community,” Josh Pierce, who is organizing Adventist Health’s vaccine rollout, said in a news release. “Our team has worked long hours setting up these clinics because we know this is the shot of hope everyone needs right now.”