Kings County officials say first shipment of Johnson and Johnson vaccine due March 8

Health officials also announced their plans to allow local health care providers to use their clinical judgment to vaccinate persons aged 16-64 who have severe health conditions.

The shipments mean the KCDPH will have on hand the most vaccines since the shipments began their rollout. Following its initial shipment, the Johnson and Johnson version will not be available for at least two weeks. However, health officials say they expect to see an increase in vaccine allocation.

“We are very excited to receive shipments of all three vaccines and are thankful to receive the single-dose version, allowing even more people the opportunity to become fully vaccinated without having to return for a second dose,” said Darcy Pickens, Assistant Director of Public Health. KCDPH will begin administering all three COVID-19 vaccines beginning Monday, March 8, 2021.

Kings County vaccine providers continue their assault on the virus and will vaccinate Phase 1A and Phase 1B, including adults 65+, Food and Ag, Education, Childcare, and Emergency Services sectors. California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will soon be further expanding eligibility under Phase 1B. 

The OptumServe location in Hanford still accepts appointments for all sectors in Phase 1A and Phase 1B, Tier 1. You can visit myturn.ca.gov or contact the State’s call center at 1-833-422-4255 for assistance with booking an appointment. Many users have reported errors when attempting to access the MyTurn website when using Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge. Health officials suggest using the Google Chrome application.

KCDPH is currently using TimeTap to schedule vaccine appointments for eligible residents of Kings County. Please visit the KCDPH vaccine page at http://www.kingscovidinfo.com to schedule your appointment. Proof of address and/or employment status in Kings County will be required at the time of your appointment.

Beginning March 15, 2021, healthcare providers may use their clinical judgment to vaccinate individuals aged 16-64 who are deemed to be at the very highest risk to get very sick from COVID-19 because they have the following severe health conditions:

• Cancer, current with a weakened immune system
• Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above
• Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen-dependent
• Down syndrome
• Solid-organ transplant, leading to a weakened immune system
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (but not hypertension)
• Severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/m2)
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%

For more information, visit https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/