Vaccines For All Californians, Riverside County, Projected In May

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — During an appearance Friday in the Bay Area, Gov. Gavin Newsom said vaccine eligibility for all Californians would likely begin in early May.

The Sacramento Bee and The Mercury News quoted Newsom as saying, “We’re anticipating within five and a half weeks we can eliminate all of the tiering, so to speak, and make available vaccines to everybody across the spectrum because supply will exponentially increase.”

Newsom’s announcement comes a week after President Joe Biden directed states to make all adults eligible for vaccinations by May 1.

More details about the expanded statewide vaccination are expected to be released next week, according to The Mercury News.

Vaccine doses administered to Riverside County residents numbered 781,226 on Friday, according to Riverside University Health System data.

Those currently eligible for vaccination include people ages 16-64 with certain disabilities and/or underlying health conditions. In Riverside County, no doctor's note nor medical records are required to show proof of condition.

Vaccination of seniors continues to be a priority. Others who qualify under the California Department of Public Health Phase 1 guidelines include hospital workers, first responders, food service workers, teachers/educators and some agricultural workers.

Janitors, couriers who handle vaccine supplies and emergency supplies, massage therapists, those who work in foster care, utility workers, social workers, homeless shelter workers, library staff and public transit workers are also eligible to receive the vaccine.

The portal to make an appointment for vaccination can be accessed via www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. Anyone who needs assistance may also call the county's 211 helpline.

Latest Riverside County coronavirus figures

COVID-positive hospitalizations in Riverside County declined further Friday, and the overall case count barely budged, but an additional 20 virus-related deaths were confirmed.

According to the RUHS, patients in hospitals countywide diagnosed with coronavirus currently number 175, compared to 187 on Thursday. That number includes 37 COVID-positive intensive care unit patients, unchanged from a day ago.

The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded since the public health documentation period began in March 2020 is 292,967, up 150 from Thursday. The count has risen less than 700 for the entire week, according to RUHS figures.

A total of COVID-19 4,117 deaths have been recorded in the last 12 months.

The regulatory bar was lowered Tuesday when the county was moved into the red tier of the governor's Blueprint for a Safer Economy framework. The county had been in the most restrictive purple tier since October. Learn what is now open.

RUHS officials said if current metrics and trends hold, the county may be eligible to move into the orange tier before the end of April. Here’s what will reopen once the county moves into the orange tier.