MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — The Marin County Health Department is the latest in the Bay Area to launch a COVID-19 vaccination dashboard.
It tracks the number of residents in the county who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
County health officials understand people are eager to get the shot and are wondering when it’s their turn, but right now the county is focusing on people age 75 and older.
“We just need to you to be patient you know, if you’re further down the line in terms of the tiers, that’s because someone that is more vulnerable and more likely to die if they get infected frankly,” Dr. Matthew Willis said.
While prioritizing the most vulnerable population, Marin County Public Heath Officer Dr. Matthew Willis told KRON4 the county is blinded to how many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is given.
One way to help navigate the distribution process — a vaccination dashboard on the county’s website to keep tabs on Marin County residents who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“We thought it was more important to simplify that process on the demand side and just really open it up to just those 75 and above because their risk for death is so much higher,” Dr. Willis said.
The new dashboard is updated daily,
Data is provided by the California Immunization Registry and the California Department of Public Health.
People who work but do not live in Marin are not included even if they received their dose in the county.
The data also does not include inmates at San Quentin State Prison or people receiving doses at local pharmacies.
Under a new presidency, the Biden administration vows to release nearly every available doses to states.
“We’ve been promised more clarity in the process itself so we can plan better,” Dr. Willis said. “We really need to know how much to expect week to week so that we can schedule those visits, schedule those appointments, not cancel visits that have been scheduled or not under scheduled depending on the doses.”
In the meantime, Dr. Willis says Marin’s ICU capacity is around 15% but new cases are coming in.
And the doctor says the county is ready to inoculate as many people as possible when more doses arrive.
“With 5% of our community vaccinated and our healthcares having been vaccinated, it really feels a lot different because there’s not that sense of fear that healthcare workers themselves are going to be infected while taking care of our residents,” Dr. Willis said.
To receive notifications about the shot, you can fill out an online form on Marin County’s website.
You will receive an alert based on the state’s priority list, but with a limited vaccine supply, you may have to wait.