North Bay COVID Clinics See High Demand From Pre-Thanksgiving Booster Seekers
SONOMA (KPIX) -- North Bay clinics are seeing long lines as people rush to get their COVID boosters in time for the holidays but many vaccination providers are completely booked.
Depending where you live, there is about a one- to two-week for an appointment at a pharmacy. Instead, many are coming to community clinics like one held Thursday night at Flowery Elementary School in Sonoma.
"We got here at 3 o'clock, the clinic started at 4 and people were here already," observed Alvaro Gonzalez with the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center.
The line out the door continued throughout the night at the pediatric vaccine clinic but not a single adult was turned away.
"We don't want to say no to anybody. We want to get everybody vaccinated," Gonzalez added.
Small clinics like this one are vaccinating roughly 200 people within a three-hour span. Those we talked to are relieved to get their boosters.
"I know people are having difficulty but I was lucky to get in last minute, kind of in a walk-in situation," said Sonoma resident Tiffany Carranza.
The scramble to get the booster is perhaps prompted by a desire for families to gather in larger groups this holiday season and by the rise in COVID cases.
"It seems like we're going into a surge right now and we want the extra protection for our family and that peace of mind," said Marni Sager who lives in Sonoma County.
The county, like many other places in the Bay Area is seeing a slight increase in COVID cases compared to October.
People who live here hope this is a step to keep them safe from an anticipated winter surge.
"My whole family is protected. My husband, my kids, we're good," Carranza said.