Fresno County now taking people 75 or older for vaccines. Here’s how to register
Fresno County moved up COVID-19 inoculations for people 75 or older on the same day Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing for those older than 65 to get vaccinations.
Health officials stressed the vaccine center is not a walk-in clinic and patients need to register and get an appointment first.
The Fresno County Department of Public Health on Wednesday started taking registrations for people 75 or older at fcdph.org/covid19vax. (A story that ran in Wednesday’s print edition offered a website that included a typo.) A county spokesman said Wednesday that the county will start vaccinating people 65 or older as soon as possible.
The website is preferred, health officials said, but those who need to talk to someone on the phone can call 559-600-3200.
For those who don’t fit into the tier getting the shot, they can fill out an interest form to receive updates about COVID-19 vaccines and when it will be available to them or their family members at the same website.
Fresno County has received 44,000 vaccines through last week. That number does not include the number of vaccines that go straight to Kaiser Permanente, Adventist Health hospitals, Valley Children’s Hospital or the facilities in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system.
Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco said Tuesday the county is working with clinics in Mendota, Firebaugh and others on the west side to distribute shots to about 90,000 farm laborers beginning next week.
Laborers often live in multi-generational homes in tight spaces, making them and their families susceptible to spreading the virus, Pacheco said.
65 or older
California officials announced Wednesday a dramatic overhaul of their vaccine program, saying that counties can now begin vaccinating anyone older than age 65 “in order to increase the pace of COVID-19 vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk.”
The change comes just one month into the state’s massive but struggling effort to inoculate up to 40 million Californians, essentially dropping a month worth of guideline planning that had proven too burdensome and confusing.
“There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Individuals 65 and older are now the next group eligible to start receiving vaccines. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state.”
The state announcement comes a day after federal health officials changed their suggested guidelines to states to simplify vaccinations in hopes of speeding up what has been a slow initial launch.
California in particular has been slow to administer vaccines. As of Tuesday, the state had only distributed 25% of the 3.3 million doses it has received — well below the national average — prompting Newsom and his chief health official, Dr. Mark Ghaly, to acknowledge the state’s efforts have been lackluster.
Fresno County spokesperson Jordan Scott said the county is slightly ahead of the plans it announced on Tuesday, saying the county will be able to move onto those 65 or older depending on the amount of vaccines coming from the state and the interest from people already in tiers allowed to get the shots.
The county had planned to start to inoculate the 75 and older crowd in February, but has become more aggressive this week.
“We hope to get to that 65 or older tier sooner than later,” he said. “We’re already a little bit advanced here locally than we had initially laid out.”
