Eighty percent of eligible Sonoma County residents are now at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19

While COVID hospitalizations continue to increase, four out of five eligible Sonoma County residents are now either fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19, Sonoma County Department of Health Services leaders reported to the Board of Supervisors today as part of an update on the County’s pandemic response.

According to Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer, and Dr. Urmila Shende, the county’s vaccine chief, 347,386 county residents have now been at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, which equals 80 percent of the county’s 434,000 residents age 12 and older. Seventy-two percent have been fully vaccinated while 8 percent have received just one dose of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna series. 

With these numbers, Sonoma County continues to outpace the state and nation in the rate of vaccine doses administered. By comparison, 65 percent of the California population is fully vaccinated with 75 percent fully or partially vaccinated. In the United States, 59 percent of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated while 70 percent are fully or partially vaccinated. 

“We are pleased that 80 percent of our eligible residents have received at least one shot, but it is vital that those who have not been vaccinated do so as soon as possible,” Dr. Mase said. “Getting vaccinated is the best thing you can do to protect yourself and the community from this new variant, especially at a time when our children are returning to school for in-person instruction.”

The county’s vaccination rate has increased modestly in recent weeks as case and hospitalization rates have surged due primarily to the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Nearly 13,000 vaccine doses have been administered to county residents in the past two weeks, an average of more than 900 per day.

As of Tuesday, 84 patients were hospitalized in Sonoma County with COVID-19. Of those, at least 15 were in intensive care units. A month ago, 36 patients with COVID-19 were hospitalized in the county, with seven in ICUs. 

More than 80 percent of COVID-19 patients in Sonoma County hospitals are unvaccinated while more than 90 percent of COVID-19 ICU patients are unvaccinated.

Meanwhile, COVID-related reported deaths jumped to 16 in July after the County recorded just one COVID-related death in May and four in June. Three more deaths have been reported in August. All those who have died were unvaccinated. 

Overall, the county’s number of new cases per day for unvaccinated individuals is 39.3 per 100,000 residents compared to 8.3 for vaccinated residents.

While increased case numbers have been observed across all age groups, new cases over the past 60 days were most frequent among those ages 20 to 39. That reflects the significantly lower vaccination rates among younger adults. Sixty percent of those 16 to 24 years old and 61 percent of those 25 to 34 years old are fully vaccinated, compared to 72 percent of all eligible residents.

As of today, a total of 311,436 County residents have been fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Meanwhile, 60 percent of adolescents between 12 and 15 years old have received at least one dose since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for that age group and 48 percent are fully vaccinated.

Since the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in mid-December, Sonoma County health officials, in partnership with hospitals, health centers, pharmacies and community based organizations, have operated or supported a network of vaccine clinics throughout the community. With a focus on equity, many of these clinics have targeted vulnerable and under-served communities. 

The county’s vaccination campaign has evolved to make it more convenient for people to get vaccinated, including through mobile clinics and events at schools. The county continues to support larger vaccination clinics, including at the Roseland Community Center and the Rohnert Park Community Center.

Walk-ups are accepted at most clinics and pharmacies. Residents also may make appointments at the county’s vaccine clinic page or through the myturn.ca.gov web site. Residents who need help making an appointment are encouraged to call the County COVID-19 hotline at 707-565-4667.

For more information, including the latest vaccine numbers, who’s eligible for a vaccine and how to receive a vaccine, community members are encouraged to visit SoCoEmergency.org/vaccine, or call 2-1-1.