Merced County gets limited amount of Johnson & Johnson vaccine. No deaths reported Tuesday
The Merced County Department of Public Health reported the arrival of the new one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine last week.
However, on Tuesday the Merced County reported it had only received a limited supply of the new vaccine. At all Merced County hosted vaccine clinics this week, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be used.
“As the Merced County Department of Public Health receives greater allocations of J&J vaccine from the state, they will be incorporated into future county-hosted clinics,” the Department of Public Health stated in a news release.
The benefit of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is there are no follow-up appointments to schedule like there are with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines that require two doses.
Health officials urge residents not to wait on a particular vaccine.
“Prolonged waiting periods unnecessarily put individuals at risk for contracting the virus,” said Dr. Salvador Sandoval, County Health Officer. “It is crucial that residents prioritize the safety of their loved ones and themselves by choosing to get the vaccine regardless of manufacturer, as soon as they are eligible. All three vaccines currently available for use are 100 percent effective in minimizing severe and lasting effects caused by COVID-19.”
All vaccine clinics hosted by Merced County are by appointment only. Clients must have an appointment and be pre-registered through www.vaccinatemercedcounty.com.
Residents are encouraged to visit finder.vaccinatemercedcounty.com to search for vaccine clinic availability throughout the County from providers currently accepting out-of-network individuals. At that site, users can narrow search results by community, clinic name, and drive-through options.
Anyone who doesn’t have access to a computer or internet can call the Public Health Information Line at 209-381-1180 to request notifications for future vaccine clinic appointments.
Merced County reports no deaths
The Merced County Department of Public Health reported no new COVID-19 related deaths on Tuesday afternoon. The total of fatalities remains at 423 since the start of the pandemic.
On Tuesday the county also reported 39 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total to 29,979 residents infected by the virus since the start of the pandemic.
There are 784 county residents estimated to be actively infected — a drop of 67 since last week.
The number of residents hospitalized in Merced County due to the coronavirus is 20 — with six people in the ICU.
According to the state, Merced County hospitals had 11 ICU beds remaining as of Monday.
Merced County has a positivity rate of 6.6%, indicating the level of people among those tested who had a positive result. That’s a slight increase from 6.4% on Monday.
Around the Valley
Fresno County reported 59 new confirmed cases, to date 97,520 cases; No new deaths, 1,535 deaths to date.
Stanislaus County: Reported 42 new cases on Tuesday, 51,748 to date; reported two new deaths, 974 deaths to date.
Kings County: 28 new cases, 22,408 to date; no additional deaths, 236 to date. More than 7,200 of the cases, and 17 deaths, have been among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran. Almost 23,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Kings County.
Madera County: 15 new cases, 15,737 to date; four additional deaths, 226 to date. More than 2,500 of the county’s cases have occurred among inmates at state prisons in Chowchilla. To date, more than 37,000 vaccine shots have been given.
Mariposa County: One new case, 399 to date; no additional deaths, seven to date.
Tulare County: 45 new cases, 48,649 to date; three additional deaths, 787 to date. The number of vaccinations given to Tulare County residents is almost 108,000.
Since the first local cases in the global COVID-19 pandemic were reported in the Valley 12 months ago, almost 215,000 confirmed cases have been reported, whether people felt symptoms of the respiratory disease or not. Of those, 3,214 died from the disease.
