Week of January 15, 2021

County Offering Vaccines to Residents Ages 65 & Older

On Tuesday, the County Health Officer announced that all Orange County residents ages 65 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This is in addition to those categorized in Phase 1A and first responders in high-risk communities. Those eligible for vaccines are broken into various phases. The phased vaccination plan, with corresponding eligibility dates, is available to view on the OC Health Care Agency’s website by clicking here. Vaccinations are available by appointment only through Othena.com. Due to extremely high demand, the County appreciates residents’ patience as more vaccines and appointments become available. The County is requesting additional vaccines from the State to exponentially expand access. Additional appointment slots will be available as more doses become available. Click here for more information from the OC Health Care Agency regarding the vaccine. Further vaccine information can be found on the State’s website by clicking here.

Regional Stay-at-Home Order Remains in Effect for Southern California Region

The Southern California Region continues to be under the Stay-at-Home Order. The Order will be lifted when ICU projections are above or equal to 15%. As of today, the Southern California Region continues to have 0% ICU availability. However, on Tuesday, Governor Newsom indicated that the State is seeing the growth rate of ICU admissions and positivity rates begin to stabilize. 

As a reminder, the Regional Stay-at-Home Order prohibits private gatherings of any size, closes sector operations, except for critical infrastructure and retail, and requires 100% masking and physical distancing in all others.

Orange County Opens First Large-Scale Vaccination Site

The County of Orange has established the first large Point-of-Dispensing (POD) site to provide COVID-19 vaccines to residents at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. Known as “Super POD” sites, the County will announce additional sites as agreements are finalized. They intend to establish multiple regional Super PODs, which will have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of residents each day. The Super PODs will increase efficiency and provide multiple vaccine distribution points throughout Orange County. Approximately 3,000 individuals received vaccinations on the opening day of the Disneyland location. The County plans to continue dispensing 3,000 doses daily at the Disneyland Super POD site alone over the next few days. Vaccinations at this site are by appointment only.

Appointments can be made through Othena.com.

Volunteers Needed for Vaccination Sites

The OC Health Care Agency is in an urgent need of volunteers to assist with distributing COVID-19 vaccines. The County’s virtual Emergency Volunteer Center (EVC), available by clicking here, is currently pre-registering volunteers interested in assisting government staff with COVID-19 vaccinations at POD sites throughout this year. The County is looking to establish two teams of volunteers willing to serve in two critical volunteer roles:  Medical Trained Volunteers and General Support Volunteers.

Medical Trained Volunteers

Medical licensed volunteers are able to assist with vaccine preparation and distribution. Currently licensed:  Physicians (MD, DO and MD/DO students), Nurses (RN, LVN, and Nursing Students), Physician/Nursing Assistants, Dentists, Medical Assistants, Paramedics, and Emergency Medical Technicians. 

General Support Volunteers

Volunteers able to assist in logistical support roles such as computer data entry, registration, traffic, and other duties as assigned.