65 AND OLDER NOW ELIGIBLE FOR COVID-19 VACCINE DOSE

People should request from health care provider first; supply fluctuates

San Diego County officials announced Saturday that they have expanded COVID-19 vaccine availability to include anyone 65 and older.

Previously the vaccine was available only to health care workers and people 75 or older, though some health care providers were vaccinating their clients at 65 or older.

“With a number of healthcare providers now vaccinating in the age group, and the UC San Diego Health Super Station having a surplus of appointments, the decision was made this afternoon,” Dr. Wilma J. Wooten, the county’s public health officer, said in a news release. “Appointments are still re

quired, and vaccinations are available based on supply.”

Eligible people are encouraged to contact their doctor or health care provider first to request the vaccine, but if none are available they should make an appointment at a county site. Reservations can be made at vaccinationsuperstationsd.com. Anyone without an appointment will be turned away.

Sharp Healthcare, Scripps Health and UCSD are asking patients not to call about the vaccinations to avoid overwhelming the phone lines. The health care providers will contact eligible patients by phone, text, email or another service.

About 80 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been among people age 65 and up. San Diego County has 473,0000 residents in that age group.

While the rate of new coronavirus infections has been dropping across California, the related deaths have reached new highs. The state reported 593 deaths on Saturday, down from a oneday record of 764 on Friday.

In the last week the state averaged about 29,000 new cases per day, down by 6,000 cases from the previous week.

“While we have come a long way this week with community transmission, we have a long road to go and must continue to practice infectious control measures: wear a face covering and maintain physical distance when out of your home,” said a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

San Diego County has received 173,000 doses of the vaccine in the past few days as part of the launch of a second mass inoculation site in Chula Vista, run by Sharp. Located in a former Sears department store, the site is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

The site is prepared to vaccinate 5,000 people a day, a county official said. About 1,800 people made appointments on Thursday.

A site in the Petco Park tailgate parking lot, run by UCSD, has immunized more than 35,000 people so far.

County officials have said they plan to set up two more mass vaccination sites in East County and North County, along with a total of 16 smaller sites throughout the region by Feb. 1.

The county intends to inoculate 1.9 million county residents by July if enough of the vaccine is available. So far a total of about 442,000 doses have been shipped to the region.

Statistics released by the county Saturday showed an additional 2,980 cases reported through Friday, bringing the total to 225,558. The county also reported 111 more hospitalizations, and on Friday there were 1,578 COVID patients in local hospitals, including 434 in intensive care units.

The county had added 43 more Covid-related deaths through Friday, bringing that total to 2,344, or 1 percent of the cases.

Despite the staggering statistics, some people remain reluctant to follow state and county health orders. Owners of small businesses such as restaurants say they will lose their livelihoods if they are forced to close. Some churches say their right to worship together indoors is protected by the federal and state constitutions.

However, the courts have repeatedly recognized the need to protect the public from community spread of the virus.

On Friday the U.S. 9th District Court of Appeals again upheld the public health orders that restrict indoor worship in a case that Chula Vista’s South Bay United Pentecostal Church has been fighting for several months. Under current orders, churches are allowed to gather outdoors with no capacity limits.

The appellate court ruled that “California’s restrictions on indoor worship are narrowly tailored to meet its compelling — and immediate — state interest in stopping the community spread of the deadly coronavirus.” However, the court said the state’s 100- and 200-person limits for counties in less-restrictive tiers could be unconstitutional.

The ruling adds to a separate one, also Friday, by a state appeals court overturning a decision that allowed in-person dining at restaurants. The lower court had overreached in expanding a preliminary injunction to include restaurants, since the case was brought solely by two strip clubs contesting COVID-19 restrictions limiting live entertainment, the panel ruled.