Santa Clara County residents 65 and older are already eligible for vaccination, county officials announced Tuesday.
Residents of this age group can now schedule appointments through the county website to open their openings starting Wednesday and thereafter.
Extended eligibility follows current state guidelines for vaccine allocation.
“Older residents and those living in skilled nursing centers remain the population most at risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19,” said Dr. Monika Roy, the county’s deputy public health official.
As of Monday, more than 160,300 people have been vaccinated in Santa Clara County by the county, private health care providers and other vaccine distributors.
The county health system is the largest provider of the COVID-19 vaccine, county officials said. To date, he has administered about 60,000 first doses and has a weekly capacity to provide 30,000 appointments to the vaccine per week.
Residents can make appointments at mass vaccination venues located at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, Berger Drive in San Jose and the Mountain View Community Center.
The county also vaccinates eligible people at various Valley Health Center locations, including up to 600 people a day in Gilroy, according to the county’s public health department.
“As the vaccine becomes available to more of our residents, the County continues its deep commitment to equity and ensures access to our communities most at risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Dr. Jennifer Tong, chief associate physician of Santa Clara County Health System.
The county is also partnering with community clinics and launched a pilot mobile vaccination clinic to ensure vaccine access to residents and staff of long-term care facilities.
“We are coordinating efforts with local fire departments and emergency medical service providers and sending vaccinators to the field to ensure that those most at risk can be vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Roy said.
County officials say the ability to expand vaccine eligibility depends on the supply of vaccines.
This week, the county received the first 20,125 additional doses of vaccine, which are “far fewer doses than the county health systems can provide,” according to the county’s public health department.
Residents can learn more about the allocation and administration of vaccines by health care providers at the COVID-19 vaccine board in the county.
To see the latest updates on vaccine eligibility or schedule an appointment to get vaccinated, people can visit sccfreevax.org.