In the wake of President Joe Biden’s administration setting forth plans to administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses during the first 100 days of his administration, Contra Costa County announced Friday it has the infrastructure to deliver 1 million doses to its residents by Independence Day.
“We believe this is a realistic goal, provided our supply of vaccine increases,” Diane Burgis, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement.
Contra Costa swiftly ramped up to providing 5,800 vaccine doses per day during the first month that COVID-19 vaccine became available. As of today, over 65,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far in the County. The first vaccine shipments were given to healthcare and emergency workers and people who live or work in residential care facilities. Currently, all County residents 65 and older can request an immunization appointment through Contra Costa Health Services.
With help from County immunization sites, large health systems, independent doctor’s offices and supermarket pharmacies, Contra Costa will “soon have capacity to provide up to 9,000 doses of vaccine daily,” local officials said. The combined efforts would allow the county to achieve the million-dose goal by July 4.
“…We are building the infrastructure to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of county residents, quickly and safely,” said Anna Roth, director of Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS). “When doses arrive, they do not sit in freezers. They go straight to the public.”
Because vaccine supplies are currently scarce, appointments are prioritized for residents in the highest risk categories, especially people 75 and older, individuals with underlying health concerns and those living in a neighborhood especially impacted by COVID-19.
“As more private health systems serving Contra Costa expand capacity to serve their members and patients, more county residents will hear from their own healthcare providers about how and when they can access COVID-19 vaccine,” the County said.
