Health Officials Warn Of Limited Vaccine Supply Ahead Of New Eligibility

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As of April 1, anyone 50 years or older is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in California.

Those doors will then expand again just two weeks later to everyone 16 and older. But health officials are warning supply is not keeping pace with new eligibility.

The joy of getting the first dose often comes after weeks of desperate searching.

"I went online for about a week and I didn't see anything out there, so I was getting anxious," said Cindy Dvoracek, an El Dorado County resident.

Dvoracek said she couldn't find any options for her second dose until she started checking online, four times a day. And this was before millions of people become eligible in the next two weeks.

"We're not getting an increase in our supply, so residents may need to wait a little bit," said Jenny Tan, the Yolo County Public Information Officer.

Tan said there's no way to predict how many appointments will be available more than a week in advance.

"We get our doses one week at a time. So for next week, for example, we'll know later today or tomorrow how many doses we're getting," Tan said.

Hospitals, private pharmacies and county-run clinics each get their own supply from the state.

"We probably wouldn't know for the April 15 expansion to 16 and older until maybe later on next week," Tan said.

So what is availability looking like right now? CBS13 checked the websites for Walgreens, CVS and the state's system, "My Turn."

In general, CBS13 was not able to find any upcoming appointments in Sacramento, Roseville or most of Elk Grove – California Northstate University was accepting appointments for April 5 and 9. But we did find openings in Oroville, Modesto and Placerville. However, counties are restricting appointment access to residents only.

"It may be that you kind of check and go refresh your page a few times a day," Tan said.

Those familiar with the battle worry people will get left behind.

"I do worry about people that don't have computer access or who maybe can't be at their computers to check four times a day like I did," Dvoracek said.

Stanislaus County is moving quicker than others. On Thursday, they open eligibility to anyone 16 and older. County clinics will accept walk-ins, first come first served. County officials said that's probably the easiest way to get your dose because the state website does not reflect this new eligibility specific to Stanislaus County.

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• Coronavirus