Santa Clara County Residents 16 And Older Can Book Vaccine Slot

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Anyone age 16 or older in Santa Clara County can begin trying to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, as long as the appointment is on April 15 or later.

Vaccinations open up across California to all people age 16 or older on April 15. As of Thursday morning, the county’s vaccination website didn’t include updated language on who can book appointments, but a county spokesperson confirmed to Patch that slots are open to the expanded age group.

“However, we still have a limited supply and appointments,” the spokesperson added. “We ask community members to remain patient as we await vaccine allocation.”

Santa Clara County began vaccinating people in the 50-64 age group on April 1, in addition to those age 16 and older with certain underlying health conditions.

As of Wednesday, the county has vaccinated more than 41 percent of its eligible residents, or over 666,600 people with at least one dose. But county officials continue to lament a lack of vaccine supply.

“Our challenge is not one of capacity or eligibility, but supply,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the county’s testing and vaccine officer, in a Mar. 25 statement. Fenstersheib said during a board of supervisors meeting on Tuesday that the county was only using about a third of its capacity for vaccinations due to shortages in supply.

On Wednesday, the Mercury News reported that California is expecting about 90 percent fewer Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses next week, which will affect those trying to sign up for a first dose in Santa Clara County.

Visit sccfreevax.org for more information on vaccinations and links to sign up.

For more news and information about the vaccine rollout in California, visit Patch's information hub. Also, be sure to check out How To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In California