Vaccine appointments fill up for Riverside County residents ages 85 and up

In the midst of an ongoing struggle to obtain a vaccine appointment in Riverside County, officials rolled out another wave of appointments while targeting a smaller group-- people ages 85 and older. On Thursday those dates were made available at various sites throughout the county until February 8.

Though appointments did not go as quickly as they did prior to Thursday, on Sunday before noon Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser announced through Twitter that all the appointments had been filled.

The goal was to allow some of the county's most vulnerable population to get vaccinated.

"It was extremely difficult. We were so lucky to be able to get this appointment," said Indian Wells resident, Paul Budilo.

Like many other Riverside County residents, Budilo couldn't make an appointment for his father prior to Thursday. This time, however, it was smooth sailing.

"As soon as that opened up on Thursday we were able to make the appointment shortly within an hour or 2 of it opening up," said Budilo.

Many people showed up to the Indio Fairgrounds to receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Sunday. Also included were those who signed up prior to Thursday.

"I got my first shot, I’m pretty relieved," said Palm Desert resident, Janie Pickett.

"This was wonderful here, they got it very well organized. The lines weren’t too long. It wasn’t hard to stand. Registration, everything was 15 minutes," said La Quinta resident, Deborah Guill.

Sunday's line was much shorter compared to previous weeks.

"Our wait time, start to finish, is under 25 minutes. From check in to check out and that includes post vaccination time. It’s about 10-25 minutes," said Indio Fairgrounds public health clinic managing nurse, Christy Madriaga, RN.

Madriaga said the shorter wait times were a result of people arriving at their appointed times, and vaccination recipient groups being more focused.

"Right now we’ve given about 77 percent of our vaccines allocated to us and then we’re waiting on more vaccine distribution from the state," said Madriaga.

Within the site, the county also provided a video for people to watch, which indicates how to get their second dose.

"What’s important to know is that if people are due for their second vaccine they should watch for us to contact them. More likely it will be by email. That email will have that link on how to sign up for that second appointment," Madriaga said.