More vaccine than ever before – what to know, where to go in Fresno area

With the supply of coronavirus vaccines expected to increase significantly in early April, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that the state would expand vaccine eligibility starting on April 1, allowing those 50 and older to make an appointment to be vaccinated and on April 15 to those 16 and older.

California, which has administered nearly 16 million vaccine doses, according to the state Department of Public Health, is expected to receive 2.5 million first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in the first half of April and more than 3 million doses in the second half of the month.

The state currently has been allocated about 1.8 million doses per week.

“We are even closer to putting this pandemic behind us with today’s announcement and with vaccine supplies expected to increase dramatically in the months ahead,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said in a news release from the governor’s office. “However, we are not there yet. It will take time to vaccinate all eligible Californians. During this time, we must not let our guard down. It is important that we remain vigilant, continue to wear masks and follow public health guidance.”

Under its current plan, Phase IC of the California vaccination schedule is to include individuals 50 to 64 years of age, employees in water and waste management, defense, energy, chemical and hazardous, communication and IT, financial services and government operations/community services.

It also is to include the homeless, and those in transportation, logistics, critical manufacturing and industrial, commercial, residential and sheltering facilities.

Dr. Rais Vohra, interim health officer for the Fresno County Department of Public Health, is expected to address the new state guidance on Friday in a media briefing.

California also will update its vaccine allocation methodology over four weeks and will continue to address a large equity gap by targeting more of its vaccine allotment at the lowest quartile in its Healthy Places Index, which have greater disparities in health care, education and other socioeconomic factors.

Do vaccines work against COVID-19 variants?

There are five coronavirus variants causing concern in the U.S. including one from the United Kingdom, which this week turned up in Fresno County and Madera County.

Early evidence shows some of the variants can reduce the effectiveness of the antibodies gained from the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. But officials with the World Health Organization have said the available vaccines generate a broad immune response that should not render vaccines completely ineffective.

What about my kids?

Those 16 and older will be eligible to make a vaccine appointment on April 15, but what about younger children?

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is for ages 16 and up and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are for those 18 and older. Clinical trials are ongoing and Moderna announced last week that children between 6 months and 12 years old have started to receive its vaccine in a study to determined if its safe and effective in kids.

The company plans to enroll about 6,750 children in the U.S. and Canada in its mid- to late-stage study.

What vaccines are available?

There are three vaccines that have received an emergency use approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – one each from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

The Pzifer-BioNTech requires two doses, 21 days apart. The Moderna vaccine also requires two doses, 28 days apart. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single-shot.

Do I have a choice which vaccine I receive?

Due to supply issues, the vaccine administered will depend on what is available at that time, according to the Fresno County Public of Health. All three have an equal efficacy, and are safe and effective.

How long does it take to be fully vaccinated?

It takes two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to be considered fully vaccinated, and two weeks after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Where can I get a shot?

There are a number of healthcare providers and pharmacies administering COVID-19 vaccinations in Fresno and in Fresno County from Clovis to Selma. They are outlined on the county department of public health website – the vaccination sites in Fresno County, and the pharmacies offering vaccines.

There also is a vaccine interest form for notification updates about when the COVID-19 vaccine is available.

How much will it cost to get the vaccine?

The vaccine itself is free of charge, provided by the federal government.

Are there side effects to the vaccines?

The most common side effects from the three coronavirus vaccines are reported to be pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain and fever and typically last a few days.

Some people may not experience side effects at all, but that is not a sign the shot isn’t working.

How many people in the state have been vaccinated?

California has administered nearly 16 million vaccine doses (15,979,099), according to a Thursday update from the CDPH, though central San Joaquin Valley counties are lagging behind others in the state.

It has averaged 287,047 doses per day and 5,086,395 residents have been partially vaccinated and 5,671,706 have been fully vaccinated, 15.7% and 17.5% of the population.

In Fresno County, 334,334 vaccine doses have been administered, including county residents and non-residents, according to data from the county department of public health, with 92,271 fully vaccinated. In the county, 21.8% of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

Coronavirus case updates

In Tulare County health officials have already opened up its COVID-19 vaccination rules to allow the 50-and-older crowd to start getting their shots immediately, fully a week ahead of the state’s schedule.

“We urge all our newly eligible residents and workforce to not delay and get vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Dr. Karen Haught, county health officer for the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency, said in a statement released Thursday morning. “This vaccine is our best line of defense against the COVID-19 virus, as we look to build immunity in our community, allowing us to safely lift restrictions on businesses and ultimately bring this horrible pandemic to an end.”

In almost 13 months since the first local cases of coronavirus disease were confirmed in the central San Joaquin Valley, almost 49,000 Tulare County cases have been reported, including more than 800 residents who have died.

The state Department of Public Health reported that through Wednesday, almost 142,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Tulare County residents. More than 44,600 people in the county – about 9.2% of the county’s total population – have been “fully vaccinated” – either receiving both shots of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or one shot of the single-dose Jannsen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

In other Valley counties – Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa and Merced – vaccine eligibility is currently open to healthcare workers; senior citizens age 65 and older; people ages 16 to 64 with certain serious underlying medical conditions; emergency-service employees; workers of any age in the education or child-care sectors, including teachers, administrators and school staff; people who work in the agriculture or food industries, including farmers and farm workers, employees at food packing and processing plants, and workers in restaurants, grocery stores and other parts of the food-supply chain; transportation workers. and utility workers who respond to emergencies.

In other Valley counties, vaccination progress includes:

• Fresno County: 104,876 people are now fully vaccinated, about 10.2% of the population.
• Kings County: 9,732 fully vaccinated, or 6.2% of the population, the lowest rate among Valley counties.
• Madera County: 17,714 fully vaccinated, or 11.1% of the population, the highest rate among Valley counties.
• Mariposa County: 1,886 fully vaccinated, or 10.6% of the population.
• Merced County: 59,355 fully vaccinated, or 10.3% of the population.

As a region, the Valley lags behind the statewide vaccination rate. About 549,000 California residents have been fully vaccinated, or about 13.7% of the state’s population.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health and state health officials reported Thursday an increase of 75 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Fresno County. That’s 468 new cases reported in the county since Sunday, and a cumulative total to date of 98,437 since the first coronavirus case was identified in the county almost 13 months ago.

The county also reported 19 additional deaths late Thursday afternoon. The number of deaths in Fresno County attributed to COVID-19 on death certificates over the past year now stands at 1,590.

In other Valley counties, updates Thursday included:

Kings County: 15 new confirmed cases, 22,561 to date; no additional deaths, 239 to date. More than 7,200 of the cases, and 17 deaths, have been among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.

Madera County: 19 new confirmed cases, 15,850 to date; no additional deaths, 231 to date. Nearly 2,500 of Madera County’s cases have been among inmates at state prisons near Chowchilla.

Mariposa County: No new cases as of Thursday morning, 406 to date; no additional deaths, seven to date.

Merced County: 32 new confirmed cases, 30,372 to date; one additional death, 432 to date.

Tulare County: 30 new confirmed cases, 48,931 to date; no additional deaths, 802 to date.

This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 4:01 PM.