Appointments for first dose COVID-19 vaccinations are available for Alameda County residents 16 and older and those who work in the county in sectors considered at increased risk of exposure.
Eligible work sectors are janitors, including housecleaners, in any industry; public transit workers, including airport and commercial airlines; emergency services workers; workers in food and agriculture, including restaurants, grocery, convenience stores; and education and childcare workers.
Those who qualify can register for an appointment at Berkeley Public Health's mass vaccination site at 1 Buchanan St. in Albany. Make an appointment online for April 13 at https://bit.ly/3uRuWWd Make an appointment online for April 14-16 at https://bit.ly/3uCRWrM.
Once an appointment is scheduled, an email will be sent confirming the date and time. Appointments will be verified with identification at the site. Registrants will not be asked about immigration status. Curative staff will assist with scheduling a second dose appointment in the post-vaccination holding area after the shot is given.
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“Now that anyone on the street over the age of 16 can get vaccinated, it’s a great feeling and to see those vaccines fly off the shelves and disappear means that it’s not staying on the shelf, it's getting into the arms of the public,” said Berkeley Fire Department Capitan Colin Arnold.
He oversees the curative drive thru vaccine site at Golden Gate Fields. Even though vaccine supply is always changing week by week, Arnold says the one consistent thing is the quick turnaround.
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“I find out about the weekly allocation a few days before they come in, it’s a pretty fast moving process the goal is to get the vaccine out into the public as quickly as possible so we don’t have plans looking more than a week out because as soon as we have vaccine its going out there,” he said.
But this week, an unexpected roadblock – plummeting Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply due to manufacturing problems.
“Last week, we had 15,400 doses of J&J as part of our allocation and this weekend it's done to 3800,” said Colleen Chawla, director of the Health Care Services Agency for Alameda County.
Another issue – different age requirements for the three vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one deemed safe enough for 16 and 17 year olds.
“So if you have an appointment and you’re between those ages, you got a Pfizer appointment. We screen on site,” said Arnold.
Currently – there’s not enough vaccines for everyone who wants one. But the county says it expects the vaccine supply to stabilize in the months to come.
“Our goal is that we have a significant proportion of our population vaccinated by 4th of July and with over half of our adult population vaccinated already with one dose we’re a good way there,” said Chawla.
For technical support or assistance scheduling an appointment, call Curative Inc. at (888) 702-9042.
