Vaccination efforts in Stanislaus County have been expanded to include all eligible individuals identified in Phase 1B, regardless of age.

Phase 1B includes people employed in sectors of education and childcare, emergency services, and food and agriculture. 

Stanislaus County has vaccinated most individuals over the age of 50 in Phase 1B. 

“While vaccine supplies currently remain limited, Stanislaus County is optimistic that its vaccine allocation will increase soon,” said Stanislaus County Health Services Agency spokesperson Kamlesh Kaur in a news release.

Stanislaus County is home to over 150,000 individuals in Phase 1A and Phase 1B. To ensure vaccines are equitably accessible to as many eligible residents as possible, Public Health is also working on expanding its mobile clinic options and closed Point of Dispensing soon. As vaccine supplies increase to Stanislaus County, more providers and local pharmacies will be able to vaccinate community members. Last week, the OptumServe testing site in West Modesto was also converted into a vaccination site by the State.

As of Friday, Stanislaus County has recorded 50,926 positive cases and 957 deaths from COVID-19.

While the county is working on vaccinating as many residents as possible, it is important for all residents to continue following safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These precautions include wearing a mask, avoiding gatherings, washing hands often, staying 6 feet from others whenever in public places, and getting tested if exposed to someone with COVID-19 or experiencing symptoms. These steps, along with the vaccines, are essential in ending the pandemic by stopping the spread of COVID-19 and protecting the community.

Vaccines are available to individuals who live and/or work in Stanislaus County. Proof of employment or residency will be verified. Community members are encouraged to visit www.schsa.org/coronavirus for more information. Vaccines and clinic related updates will also be posted on StanEmergency social media platforms.

The effort to re-open more of Stanislaus County was dealt a setback Tuesday when the region did not meet the requirements needed to move down a tier.

Additionally, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the opening of a mass vaccination site for the Central Valley was postponed because other states complained California already had two.

"Other states, I'll be honest with you, were upset that California was the first to get not one, but two large-scale vaccination sites," said Newsom while visiting a vaccination site in Earlimart on Monday. "Until other states start to get more equitably their vaccination sites, we're struggling to get that third site here in the Valley."

In early February Newsom announced that the state would be partnering with the federal government for a mass vaccination site in the Central Valley.

Following the announcement on Monday, Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10) called on the federal government to immediately clarify when and if a mass vaccination site will be coming to the Central Valley.

Stanislaus County’s daily COVID-19 case rate came in at 13.4 per 100,000 population, which was then adjusted to 13.6 per 100,000 for testing volume. The rate is well above the 7 per 100,000 it needs to be in order to move down to the red tier.

The testing positivity rate did fall in the state guidelines for the red tier, but in order to move down, all requirements have to be met.

As of Tuesday, Stanislaus County has recorded 51,299 positive cases and 959 deaths from COVID-19.