Solano expands vaccine eligibility to individuals age 16 and older

Matyas urges people to show patience during time when doses will be limited

Starting Wednesday, Solano County is expanding vaccine eligibility to individuals living or working in Solano County who are age 16 and older, in accordance with state guidance to expand eligibility to all Californians in this age group.

“We are pleased to expand eligibility to all community members age 16 and older in Solano County,” said Bela T. Matyas, M.D., M.P.H., Solano County Health Officer in a news release. “With the temporary pause in providing the J&J vaccine, appointments for first vaccine doses may continue to be limited.

“We ask that the public continue to be patient as the pace of administering vaccines depends on supply. In the meantime, please continue to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 by maintaining distance from those outside your household, by wearing a mask and by washing your hands often.”

After the statement issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommending the administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccine be paused temporarily, Solano County is also pausing use of the J&J vaccine at this time.

Until further notice, all vaccine clinics scheduled by the county will be administering the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The public is urged to keep their appointments if they have already been scheduled.

Vaccines, including Johnson & Johnson, have been shown to be overwhelmingly safe and effective at preventing COVID-19, according to the news release. No adverse events have been reported in Solano County following administration of the J&J vaccine.

The CDC and FDA’s recommendation to pause administration of the J&J vaccine is made out of an abundance of caution as the investigation is conducted into the six cases of blood clotting recently reported in the United States. It is important to note that these reactions have been extremely rare, as nearly 7 million people have received the J&J vaccine to date in the United States.

The county will continue to monitor the situation and provide additional information to the public as soon as it becomes available.

Vaccinations are no cost and available to all current eligible groups regardless of health insurance or immigration status.

Community members eligible to receive the vaccine are asked to sign up using the state’s vaccine notification and scheduling platform, www.myturn.ca.gov, or through the Solano County Vaccine Interest Form, www.bit.ly/covidvaccine, to get priority notifications on upcoming vaccine clinics.

For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine administration and rollout in Solano County, visit www.solanocounty. com/covidvaccine and on Facebook, @SolanoCountyPH.