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Supervisor Perez, Public Health Director Discuss Vaccine

13 January 2021

PALM DESERT – Supervisor V. Manuel Perez posted a video of an interview he did on the vaccine this afternoon with Riverside County’s Public Health Director, Kim Saruwatari.

 
Supervisor Perez, Public Health Director Discuss Vaccine

PALM DESERT – Supervisor V. Manuel Perez posted a video of an interview he did on the vaccine this afternoon with Riverside County’s Public Health Director, Kim Saruwatari. The 43‑minute conversation can be viewed on Supervisor Perez’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/VManuelPerez4th/.

 

The video presents information on vaccine distribution in Riverside County, addressing questions brought to Supervisor Perez from residents. Key information presented in the video includes:

 

  • Approximately 114,000 vaccine doses have been received for use in Riverside County, with 36,000 that were received today. The county is currently vaccinating health care workers, residents and staff of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, paramedics and EMTs, and, soon, individuals over the age of 65. The county’s goal is to expand vaccines to farmworkers and front-line workers in education and public safety starting next week.

 

  • Over 30,000 vaccine doses have been administered, and that is likely an under-estimate, as providers have up to three days to report data.

 

  • There is a limited quantity of vaccine. Presently, approximately 35,000 to 40,000 doses are being received on a weekly basis. The county anticipates that the speed will pick up as manufacturers produce more vaccine.

 

  • As more vaccines become available, more people will be eligible for vaccines as Riverside County moves through the phase and tier system. Once residents are eligible, they can find where to take the vaccine on the county’s Web page, https://www.ruhealth.org/covid-19-vaccine, and register to get the vaccine.

 

  • There has not been a vaccine approved for use by minors at this time. The Moderna vaccine is for ages 18 plus and Pfizer is for ages 16 and up.

 

  • Two doses of vaccine are needed to develop protection for COVID‑19. The recommended timeframe for the second dose is after 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine and after 28 days for the Moderna vaccine. If one takes the Pfizer vaccine, the second dose should be from the Pfizer vaccine. If one takes the Moderna vaccine, the second shot should also be the Moderna vaccine.

 

Supervisor Perez also recorded a video in Spanish with Dr. Geoffrey Leung, ambulatory director at Riverside University Health System – Medical Center, which is posted to Supervisor Perez’s Facebook page as well.

 

Today, Riverside County announced an upcoming vaccine clinic on Sunday, January 17 in the Fullenwider Auditorium at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio to vaccinate individuals 65 years and older and all those in all tiers of phase 1A and tier 1 of phase 1B. Visit http://www.ruhealth.org/covid-19-vaccine to register. Senior citizens needing assistance making an appointment can call the Riverside County Office on Aging at 800-510-2020.

 

Additionally, Riverside County is working to set up mass vaccination sites that could include schools, convention centers, fairgrounds and stadiums. Supervisor Perez and Riverside County are in talks with Goldenvoice regarding a possible mass vaccination center on the company’s 500-acre El Dorado land and potentially throughout Riverside County.

 

 

 

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez is the chair of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, representing the eastern two-thirds of Riverside County as the Fourth District Supervisor. Stretching from Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs, south to the Salton Sea and east to Blythe and the Colorado River, the Fourth District is the largest geographical district in the county.

 

Supervisor Perez’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.