Last week, the county announced that vaccine access would begin for residents 75 and older. Initially this was a process they said that “will take time” as vaccine supplies remain extremely limited. Officials estimate that there are approximately 13,000 Nevada County residents who are 75 and older.
According to Nevada County Public Health, the county has received more than 8,800 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Friday, and are expecting to receive another 1,775 vaccines this week.
As of Tuesday, the county website asks that people do not call providers, and instead use appointment scheduling sites listed by those who offer them. All vaccine clinics in the Tahoe Forest Hospital System are full and will not be accepting appointment registrations until they receive more vaccine doses.
According to Public Health’s website, current vaccine providers include: their department, local hospitals, Dokimos Pharmacy, and a growing list of local clinics.
Currently, as they continue to receive doses, Public Health, Chapa-De Indian Health, Western Sierra Medical Clinic, and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital are only vaccinating by reaching out directly to their eligible patients.
Dokimos Pharmacy has set up an appointment scheduling page and wait list which can be accessed through: http://www.dokimospharmacy.com.
In order to stay informed, Nevada County residents can text VACCINEINFO to 898211 for Public Health text updates, or call 211 with questions about where they fall within the vaccine prioritization tiers.
According to Connecting Point Executive Director Ann Guerra, calls to their 24/7 informational line — which can be reached by dialing 211 or 1-833-DIAL211 — have “definitely come down,” after peaking in mid-January at around 600 calls per day.
Ann Guerra also mentioned that the call center was so overwhelmed after peaking in mid- January that county staff had to step in as call operators to help manage the volume. As of last weekend, however, they determined they would be able to continue providing informational services without that additional county support.
Victoria Penate is a staff writer for The Union, a sister publication of the Sierra Sun. She can be reached at vpenate@theunion.com.
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