Santa Clara County is opening up thousands of new COVID-19 vaccination appointments at multiple sites this week, including 10,000 appointments for next weekend alone, county health officials announced late Sunday.
New appointments are added daily based on available supply, and the county health system is now scheduling first-dose appointments up to one week in advance.
Everyone 16 and older who lives or works in the county is eligible and encouraged to sign up for a vaccination appointment at sccfreevax.org, said Dr. Jennifer Tong, associate chief medical officer for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
"This includes our community members who have already had COVID-19 and have recovered," Tong said. "The vaccines are our most critical and effective tools to protect you and your loved ones, especially with variants of the virus circulating in our community."
County officials say they will continue extensive outreach efforts to ensure that the communities most impacted by COVID-19 have ready access to vaccine appointments and information. Outreach includes door-to-door efforts to register families in hard-hit neighborhoods and on-site vaccinations for homeless community members and homebound residents.
The county and its partners are also working to increase evening and weekend availability for appointments and drop-in clinics, officials said.
More than 57% of Santa Clara County residents 16 and older have received a first dose of the vaccine, and more than 31% have been completely vaccinated, according to the county.