Contra Costa County says it could expand coronavirus vaccine eligibility to people 16 years and older later this week.
Dr. Ori Tzvieli, COVID-19 operations chief for Contra Costa County, says they are getting an increased vaccine supply from both state and federal sources.
The county expanded eligibility a week ago to people 50 and older. Tzvieli says they are currently trying to schedule about 20,000 unfilled appointments over the next seven days for those who are eligible. They include those eligible under state guidelines, like essential workers, people who live or work in congregate living spaces, and individuals 16 or older with high-risk health conditions.
There is no exact date when the county will expand eligibility to the 16 and older group, but Tzvieli expects that could happen as early as later this week.
“Right now, we're making a push for people who are 50 and older because they're eligible,” he said. “We want to make sure we've made a good push in that group. And then when we see that we still have vacancies, that's when we'll go to 16 and over.”