When Bay Area counties can start vaccinating kids aged 5-11

Bay Area children under the age of 12 will soon be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 following federal approval on Tuesday, but just how quickly can the region's counties get shots in arms?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on its use Tuesday, clearing the last hurdle at the federal level. KCBS Radio reached out to the public health departments of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties, as well as the City of Berkeley, to learn when each jurisdiction is prepared to offer the two-dose Pfizer vaccine to children aged 5-11.

Here are all of the public health departments that have gotten back to us so far. This story will be updated as we hear back from more jurisdictions.

Alameda County public health officials said in a release on Tuesday that it was awaiting the Western States Scientific Safety Review Work Group to weigh in on the CDC's recommendations.

That approval was granted on Wednesday, clearing the way for residents to check appointment availability at the county website, as well as with community health partners Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and Stanford Health Care. California's MyTurn website will also provide locations of clinics and pharmacies.

Alameda County community clinics will be open in mid-November, the department of public health said in a release on Tuesday, and nearby residents can make appointments here. The county will also run clinics at some schools, placing stable clinics within the nine school districts that have the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Contra Costa County anticipates being able to start offering vaccines to children aged 5-11 on Saturday, following state regulatory approval on Wednesday. Officials said in a release on Monday the county expected to receive 20,000 doses this week.

Vaccines will be available at county-run sites, community health care providers and local pharmacies. A spokesperson with Contra Costa Health Services told KCBS Radio the agency plans to host school-based vaccination clinics in the "coming weeks," after coordinating with local school districts.

Information on county-run vaccination sites can be found here.

Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer, told KCBS Radio in an interview on Tuesday that the county is hopeful as many as 15,000 of its 20,000 children aged 5-11 could receiver their first doses by the end of the month.

"We are excited and teed up," he said.

Following state approval on Wednesday, Marin County would soft-launch mobile vaccination clinics with "a few hundred doses" that day, Willis said in an interview on Tuesday. The weekend represents the big push, with the county offering 3,000 doses at four locations in San Rafael: The Miller Creek School District site, Northgate Shopping Center in San Rafael, Marin Health and Wellness Campus and the Canal Area.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health told KCBS Radio in a statement that it expects to receive 12,000 doses this week for department-run community sites, schools and independent pediatric providers. Officials encouraged residents to, if they have one, reach out to their primary pediatric health care provider or book with a pharmacy first.

Pharmacies and larger health care systems will receive their own allotment of vaccine doses separately, according to the department. City officials expect to be able to "evenly match demand" after several weeks.

"We anticipate every child to have access to a vaccination over the next several weeks," the department said in a statement shared with KCBS Radio, "and strongly encourage families to seek out a vaccine to protect their children from COVID-19 and allow them to safely return to the activities they need to socialize, learn and grow."

The department tweeted on Wednesday that San Francisco residents can also sign up for appointments a city-run site or through MyTurn.

San Mateo County will hold a child-focused vaccination clinic at the San Mateo County Event Center on Saturday. Appointments can be booked through MyTurn, and a county spokesperson said on Tuesday that "additional centrally located offerings to be determined by demand."

Health officials will partner with education officials to hold four school-based clinics beginning on the week of Nov. 15.

"We will continue to identify gaps in the reach of the vaccine to ensure that vulnerable communities have convenient access to vaccination opportunities," the county spokesperson said.

Santa Clara County began administering doses Wednesday morning, according to a county press release. During Tuesday's Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib said that the county expects to have 75,000 doses available for children aged 5-11 within the next week-and-a-half.

"It's all going to happen pretty quickly," he said at the time, noting that Kaiser Permanente will receive its own allotment of doses separate from the county. Some parents had already begun making appointments in anticipation of approval being granted this week, he added.

The county lists drop-in and appointment information here. Although many appointments have already been reserved, more slots are expected to open up soon as more doses are delivered.

Solano Public Health officials told KCBS Radio in a statement on Wednesday morning that parents would be able to drop in for appointments at a county-run vaccine clinic, or make an appointment online.

The mass vaccination clinics, which run on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., are closed for this week. That means the earliest a Solano County resident could vaccinate a now-eligible child at a mass vaccination site is Nov. 10.

County officials encouraged residents to check in with their pediatrician, adding that the county will host pop-up vaccine clinics at schools, churches and community centers, among other locations, moving forward. The county said it will update listings of pop-up clinics here.

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