Amid Vaccination Push, El Dorado County Offers Limited Doses To General Population
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — State officials are gearing up for mass vaccination in the next five days.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is setting a target of vaccinating 1 million more people by the weekend, with plans to use Cal Expo as a distribution site.
"This notion of all hands on deck, to accelerate the equitable and safe distribution of vaccines," Newsom said.
READ: California Loosening COVID-19 Vaccine Tiers To Get More People Vaccinated
As more doses become available, many wonder how they will be notified when it's their turn to get in line.
The state is still within phase 1A. There are roughly 3 million health care workers and long-term care residents to vaccinate. Most in that group are being notified about vaccine eligibility through their employers.
As distribution expands to people in certain age groups, several counties said it will be up to doctors and pharmacists to let their patients know they're eligible. In El Dorado County, people have a limited opportunity to jump in line.
"They can sign up for an alert either by phone or text that would allow them to get vaccinated no matter where they are on the phase or tier system," said Carla Hass, the El Dorado County spokesperson.
Hass said this is a way to prevent waste.
"In case there are extra doses leftover that a provider can't get rid of, given what they're doing that particular day, we certainly don't want those to go to waste," Hass said.
Those who get the alert must be able to get to a county health facility in Placerville or South Lake Tahoe within an hour.
The California Department of Public Health said they are working on a plan to mass notify people about vaccine availability. For now, counties are urging people to make sure their doctors have updated information on how to contact them.
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