Vaccinations Open for West County Over 70 Group on Feb 10, and Over 65 on Feb 15.

Great News on the "Let's Get Everyone Vaccinated" Front. Go Sonoma County!!

 

1. MOST IMPORTANT "DON'T FORGET" POINT: Please reach out to anyone you know who is in the most at risk group (75 and older) to make sure they know about vaccination opportunities. Offer them help getting an appointment. It’s not easy to navigate an online system. I’ve helped a number of people in that age group get it done, and it’s 100% the most satisfying thing I’ve done in dealing with the many trials and tribulations of this pandemic.

 

2. As of a few minutes ago, there are no longer any open appointments at WCHC. (But then a friend emailed me to say he got an appointment for a day that was listed as "Full." So it's still worth a try!)

 

3. The WCHC website states it will open new appointment slots each Wednesday. That means that as of next Wednesday February 10, there should be slots available for the week of February 15. Checking the website is a great idea. Link is below.

 

4. The CORRECT date currently on the WCHC website for 70 and over to qualify is February 8th. That date also triggers qualification for “childcare essential workers."

 

5. The CORRECT date currently on the WCHC website for 65 and over to qualify is February 15th (NOT the 25th). The 15th also triggers qualification for "education essential workers."

 

6. As of Feb 5th, the WCHC website includes as qualified for vaccines “food and agricultural essential workers.” Check out the website for the full list, but note that it does include people “involved in the production of food or beverages, including wineries and distilleries.” 

 

7. WCHC serves the following groups: Persons who live or work in West County, patients of WCHC, and patients of a medical provider who works in West County. 

 

8.  Most importantly, this is a constantly changing situation. Everything I’ve written here is accurate as of this moment, but because the County is completely focused on making sure the most vulnerable get the vaccine first, we need to understand that all these parameters can change quickly. 

 

9. Don’t forget to check with your health care provider about vaccinations opening up for Over 70 and Over 65 age groups. As we see these changes happening at WCHC, that’s a hint that the same may be happening soon with private health care providers. I don’t have any direct information about this. It’s just my suggestion that to the extent some of us have private health care plans, we should look to those providers for our vaccines, which will take some of the pressure off County services like WCHC.

 

Finally, remember that we will all get vaccines eventually, and that the changes we see happening now are a sign of that eventuality. We need to help each other, especially those most vulnerable, and realize that the only way to get through all of this is together.