75 years of age and older now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination
Vaccines Now Available for Santa Clara County Residents 75 Years and Older
Beginning January 13, 2021, the Santa Clara County Health and Hospital System will be offering COVID-19 vaccinations to Santa Clara County residents who are 75 years of age or older. Any local resident in this age group who is not a regular patient of Kaiser, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or Stanford Healthcare can now schedule an appointment through one of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s (SCVMC’s) vaccination clinic sites by visiting www.sccfreevax.org and clicking on the “schedule a vaccination appointment” link for SCVMC. Also, the direct link is here for your easy reference. Current vaccination sites operated by the County and SCVMC include Valley Health Center Gilroy, Valley Specialty Center, Valley Health Center Tully, the County Fairgrounds, and Berger Auditorium (1555 Berger Dr.). Appointments are required for COVID-19 vaccination (we cannot take walk-ins). Additional vaccination sites in East San Jose and Mountain View are planned for the near future.
As you know, the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on our community. Geographically, East San José and Gilroy residents continue to face the highest risks of transmission. Gilroy’s share of countywide case rates, for example, is more than double its share of the population. We also have substantial racial and ethnic disparities. Our Latino residents make up roughly a quarter of the population countywide, but account for over half of all COVID-19 cases and 30% of deaths. African/African Ancestry residents are also experiencing elevated rates of transmission. It is especially critical that our most impacted communities can access their vaccination as soon as they become eligible. We are hoping you can assist us in helping ensure folks are aware of their eligibility and able to access appointments.
For background, in addition to all Phase 1A healthcare workers who are already eligible for the vaccine, the California Department of Public Health recently announced that healthcare providers may begin offering vaccination doses to additional groups in the first Tier of Phase 1B if appropriate efforts have been made to reach higher priority groups and when demand from Phase 1A has slowed down. With the rapid expansion of capacity at SCVMC’s vaccination sites and following extensive outreach to healthcare workers, starting today the County Health System will be among those providers offering vaccination to County residents aged 75 and older (we understand PAMF is also offering vaccination to this age group; other large providers may as well). Patients of PAMF, Kaiser, and Stanford Healthcare should schedule their vaccine appointment through their health system (information on how to do that can also be found at www.sccfreevax.org). All other eligible individuals can receive their vaccine from the County/SCVMC system.