COVID-19 INFORMATION

COVID-19 TESTING INFORMATION

Don’t Forget Covid Testing! In order for Sonoma County to move along in the tiers and open up schools, businesses etc, we need to keep testing, in order to show our positivity rate has gone down. Reach out to your health care provider for testing, or you can go to the LHI website and set up an account and schedule a free test that way. LHI does testing locally at the Jockey Club that is part of the Fairgrounds property in Santa Rosa. To get started, click here. For an article on what the reduced testing has done for us that’s bad (and why we should all start testing again), click here.

SOURCES FOR COVID-19 VACCINATION INFORMATION

Sonoma County Vaccine Website (click here)

Summary list of all vaccination locations, public and private. Please note that the "current eligibility" column may not be current. (For example, as I read the list right now, I see that the entry for West County Health Centers states that it is vaccinating the 75 and over age group, but the WCHC site itself clearly states it is vaccinating the 70 and over age groups.) But as of Feb 9, 2021, the Sonoma County Vaccine Website list does seem to include all Sonoma County vaccination sites, and the links do go to the appropriate vaccination scheduling site.

West County Health Centers (click here)

For those of us who live or work in West County, this is an important vaccination scheduling website. Review the comments below for some details. Note that WCHC is no longer allowing appointments to be made online. Instead, anyone who feels they qualify must call and speak directly to a representative. 707 823-3166. Be prepared for a wait, as they receive a very high call volume, and consider calling right at 9am when they being answering phones (all days except Sunday, when they are closed).

Comments

1. Please reach out to anyone you know who is in the most at risk group (75 and older) to make sure they know about the vaccination clinics. Offer them help getting an appointment. It’s not easy to navigate an online system. I’ve helped a number of people in that age group get it done, and it’s 100% the most satisfying thing I’ve done in dealing with the many trials and tribulations of this pandemic.

2. If you are persistent in double-checking these scheduling sites, you may find that openings occur that were not listed previously. There is no official explanation, but perhaps it reflects cancelled appointments or the addition of new appointment slots? Regardless, I've had multiple people tell me that they found open slots on days that earlier had no open slots.

3. WCHC serves the following groups: Persons who live or work in West County, patients of WCHC, and patients of a medical provider who works in West County.

4. As of Feb 22, 2021, the County run vaccination sites are offering vaccinations to the following age group: 65 and over. If you have private coverage, make sure you check your provider's website. Those website links are also on the County vaccination website listed above.

5. Non Age Group Categories: The County website lists as currently qualified (regardless of age) the following groups: All healthcare personnel (home health care, in home supportive services, community health workers and promotoras, complementary and alternative providers, massage therapists, veterinarian, pharmacy, laboratory staff), food and agriculture essential workers (individuals performing agriculture, farm and field work, collecting and processing agriculture products including dairy, egg, poultry, and meat production, individuals involved in the production of food or beverages, restaurant and grocery store workers, educators who have direct pupil contact, and childcare essential workers. Check out the website (link above) for the full list.

6. Very importantly, this is a constantly changing situation. Everything I’ve written here is accurate as of this moment, but because the County is completely focused on making sure the most vulnerable get the vaccine first, we need to understand that all these parameters can change quickly.

7. Finally, remember that we will all get vaccines eventually, and that the changes we see happening now are a sign of that eventuality. We need to help each other, especially those most vulnerable, and realize that the only way to get through all of this is together.

Articles/Announcements re Vaccines and Testing:

Feb 20, 2021: County Vaccinating 65 and up, but Appointments will be Hard to Find

Feb 18, 2021: Officials Remind Residents About the Importance of Covid Testing

Feb 8, 2021: Sonoma County to Open Three New Vaccination Centers

Feb 8, 2021: Sonoma County Approves Funding for Expanded Vaccination Plan

Feb 5, 2021: Sonoma County Makes Vaccines Available to 70 and Over Age Group

Jan 25, 2012: Press Democrat Article Listing Resources for Getting Vaccinated