Merced County opening large COVID vaccination site in Atwater, will give 400 shots daily

A large-scale COVID-19 vaccination site that is expected to vaccinate 400 people per day will be opening in Merced County beginning immediately, the Merced County Department of Public Health announced on Friday.

The state is locating one of its OptumServe vaccination sites at the Atwater Community Center at 760 E. Bellevue Road.

“Having a reliable vaccination resource in a centralized location such as Atwater is a major win for the community,” said Chairman Daron McDaniel of the Merced County Board of Supervisors. “The Board has pushed hard for a more equitable share of vaccine doses from the state, and we’re encouraged to see those efforts paying dividends.”

Registration for an appointment at the OptumServe site is available through MyTurn.ca.gov. No walk-ins will be accepted.

As part of a statewide initiative, Merced County is now transitioning to the State’s “My Turn” system for vaccine scheduling. Merced County will no longer be using www.VaccinateMercedCounty.com to schedule appointments. The Merced County site can still be accessed for information.

“Anyone previously signed up through www.VaccinateMercedCounty.com will receive an email to register in the state’s system for vaccine scheduling,” Merced County stated in a press release.

Merced reports one new death

Merced County Department of Health reported one new death Friday, bringing total COVID deaths to 448.

The county reported 24 new cases Friday, bringing the total caseload to 31,009 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Merced County remains in purple tier, the strictest level under the state’s COVID rules.

Elsewhere in the Valley:

Kings County: 7 new cases, 22,683 to date; no additional deaths, 243 to date. The county’s totals include more than 7,200 cases, and 17 deaths, among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.

Madera County: 14 new cases, 16,029 to date; no additional deaths, 236 to date.

Mariposa County: No new cases as of Friday, 415 to date; no additional deaths, seven to date.

Tulare County: 29 new cases, 49,231 to date; four additional deaths, 821 to date.

Explore these interactive charts and maps tracking the latest data on COVID-19 cases and deaths in Merced County and neighboring counties in California’s central San Joaquin Valley as of Friday, April 9, 2021.

Merced County

Valleywide

This story was originally published April 9, 2021 at 5:05 PM.