County of Santa Clara Opens Thousands of Additional Vaccine Appointments and Expands Eligibility to All Individuals Age 16 or Older
County of Santa Clara Officials announced on Tuesday, April 13 that a significant increase in vaccine supplies has allowed the County Health System to release tens of thousands of additional vaccine appointments over the remainder of this week. Many more appointments will be made available the following week. The increased supply is coming directly to the County of Santa Clara Health System from the federal government under a program operated by the federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). As a result of the expanded vaccine supply, the County is opening vaccine eligibility to all individuals age 16 or older who live or work in Santa Clara County effective today. Community members are encouraged to schedule vaccination appointments through the County’s website sccfreevax.org. As it has throughout the vaccine rollout, the County will continue its intensive outreach efforts to ensure that communities most impacted by COVID-19 have ready access to vaccine appointments and information.
“We’re thrilled to provide expanded access to these highly effective vaccines, especially for those most impacted by COVID-19,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, County of Santa Clara Testing and Vaccine Officer. “Vaccines are the County’s number one priority and they will save lives. After many weeks of supply challenges, we will be able to offer vaccination to those at greatest risk and ensure broad coverage for our entire community.”
The County received the first shipments of additional vaccine supply from the U.S. government this morning, and additional supplies are expected to arrive next week. This significant increase in vaccine supply will allow the County Health System to fully utilize administration capacity at each of its vaccine clinics. The County is also working with other vaccine providers to ensure that they have adequate supplies to meet community needs and is expanding its outreach efforts to reduce barriers to vaccination.
County officials also announced today that the County is pausing administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine following the announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration recommending that administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine be temporarily halted. The County anticipates being able to cover all scheduled appointments with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The County has also advised its vaccinating partners to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine pending further direction from the CDC, FDA, and California Department of Public Health.
The CDC and FDA’s decision to recommend a pause in administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was made out of an abundance of caution in light of complications in six patients out of the seven million that have already received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States. Approximately 60,000 individuals have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Santa Clara County, representing five percent of all administered vaccine doses in the county. The County will closely follow updates from the CDC, FDA, and CDPH and will provide additional information to the public as soon as it becomes available.
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