More than 70% of Sonoma County residents 12 and older have had at least one vaccination dose and 58 percent of that group is fully vaccinated, county officials announced, while cautioning that there is still some spread of COVID-19 and caution is still necessary.
"We have made tremendous progress, but we still are not home free," Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said in a statement. "We are still seeing some virus spread among unvaccinated, young people, particularly those under the age of 30. With this being Memorial Day Weekend, we are really encouraging people to continue to avoid gatherings, particularly if they have not been vaccinated. Meanwhile, we encourage everyone to continue wearing their masks and err on the side of caution. We don't want to see another surge."
County tallies show 305,501 of Sonoma's 434,000 residents 12 and older are at least partially vaccinated, and 252,478 have been fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The county has administered the 543,222 doses in all, a rate that local officials said outpaces the state and the rest of the U.S.
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More than 30 percent of residents ages 12 to 15 in the county have been inoculated since the federal Food and Drug Administration approved making the Pfizer vaccine available to them for less than three weeks ago, health officials said.
The supply of doses now exceeds demand and Sonoma County is working to provide mobile clinics and events at schools to make getting vaccinated more convenient.
"Many clinics and pharmacies are accepting walk-in patients, and Uber and Lyft are now providing free rides to vaccine clinics," officials said, also noting the state's new offer of prize money and other inducements to lure those who have been reluctant.
