Riverside County expands COVID vaccine eligibility to those 16 & older starting April 6

Starting Tuesday, April 6, Riverside County will expand COVID vaccine eligibility to those 16 and older for COVID-19 vaccination

Those who are 16 and 17 – who are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine – will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to get vaccinated. Moderna and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available to those who are 18 years and older.

The state of California was set to make a similar move on April 15, but Riverside County has gone ahead with a 10 day head start.

County officials said the change will open vaccine eligibility to hundreds of thousands of Riverside County residents.

“The expansion of eligibility will allow the last large group of Riverside County adult residents to get vaccinated, and bring us one step closer to herd immunity,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of Riverside University Health System-Public Health. “Bringing the vaccine to a younger population, where we have seen an increase in cases, is a big step forward.”

“More vaccine is available now, and opening eligibility will move us even further towards our goal of vaccinating the majority of our residents,” said Board Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. “Vaccine works best when the majority of the population takes it.”

To make an appointment, go to www.rivcoph.org/covid-19-vaccine. Those needing assistance making an appointment can call 2-1-1. The current wait times for 2-1-1 are under five minutes.