El Cerrito Vaccine: Register Now For An Appointment

EL CERRITO, CA — Following guidance from the state released Wednesday that calls for all residents age 65 and over to be given a coronavirus vaccine, Contra Costa Health Services has posted a Vaccine Appointment-Request Form online. The vaccine is free. A link to the form is below.

The top of the form states, "You will need to attest that you are a healthcare worker who lives or works in Contra Costa County or that you are a resident of Contra Costa County aged 65 and above."

However, the form goes on to say, "Please note that you are not guaranteed to get an appointment just by submitting this form. If you are approved, you will receive instructions on how to schedule a vaccination appointment with us or one of our pharmacy partners.

"Demand for vaccine is high and it may take a few days to determine your eligibility and send you a response."

In fact, demand for the vaccine is so high that even after you request an appointment, it may be weeks before you actually receive the vaccine.

According to a statement released Thursday morning, the county is working on getting more vaccine and on increasing ways to administer it."Contra Costa Health Services is working hard with many partners, including other health providers in the county, to increase capacity so everyone can be vaccinated more quickly. Contra Costa is coordinating with the state and building capacity to fill thousands of new requests."

In addition to the online form, a new vaccination appointment call center is expected to be ready next week.

The goal is to administer vaccinations to as many as 7,000 people a day in Contra Costa County. It will still take about six months to vaccinate everyone.

Here in El Cerrito, there have been 4 deaths and 489 confirmed cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began.

Across Contra Costa County, there have been 49,759 cases and 410 deaths.

Fill out the Contra Costa County Vaccine Appointment-Request Form