Health

One Year of COVID-19 Vaccinations

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Tuesday marks one year since the County received its first shipments of COVID-19 vaccinations and the first doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine were administered. Since Dec. 14, 2020, more than 5.86 million doses of the three vaccines now available have been administered throughout the region.

County vaccination sites and medical providers initially started vaccinating the more than 620,000 health care professionals who became eligible first. As more vaccine doses became available, eligibility guidelines expanded and the focus shifted to distributing COVID-19 vaccines to populations who suffered the worst outcomes from the pandemic, including older residents and those with underlying medical conditions.

Over the past year, the County and its partners have continuously re-evaluated vaccine needs and ensured that vaccines are distributed equitably. This equitable approach included targeted outreach in communities of color, some of which experienced disproportionately high COVID-19 case rates and deaths.

As of Monday, close to 2.72 million San Diego County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That’s more than 86 percent of eligible residents. More than 2.41 million San Diegans, or close to 77 percent, are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, more than 528,000 booster shots have been administered in the region.

“San Diego has some of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation and our impressive numbers are a testament to the efforts of our community partners, as well as our residents’ commitment to put this pandemic behind us,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “COVID vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness and deaths and I urge anyone who has not gotten vaccinated, or is overdue for their booster, to get vaccinated now.”

The implementation of masking and vaccines has prevented cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the region.

Vaccines are available at health care providers, retail pharmacies and community clinics. You can also make an appointment or find a site near you by calling (833) 422-4255 or visiting the My Turn website.

More information about COVID-19, variants, testing and vaccinations can be found at coronavirus-sd.com.