LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer has given an update on the efforts to vaccinate the first tier of health care workers against COVID-19.

Dr. Gary Pace said that, so far, 300 health care workers in Lake County have been vaccinated.

Lake County received its first shipment of 975 doses on Dec. 17, as Lake County News has reported.

He acknowledged that many are wondering where they will fit in the priority list.

“The supply is much less than the need,” said Pace.

He said Lake County Public Health is following the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health.

Those guidelines establish the following tiers:

· Tier 1 (this is the current phase where the county is now): hospital workers, medical first responders, nursing home staff and dialysis staff.

· Tier 2 (which Pace said should hopefully begin in the next one to two weeks): outpatient clinic staff, jail medical, home health and In-Home Supportive Services workers.

·Tier 3 (which Pace said is expected to start in a few weeks): specialty clinics, lab workers, dental clinics and pharmacy staff.

“Protecting people serving in these roles first will help ensure there are sufficient health care workers to take care of sick people in the coming months,” said Pace.

“Timelines and priority guidelines for subsequent tiers are still under development,” Pace said. “Those expected to be in near-term groups include essential workers like law enforcement, teachers, farmworkers, public transit workers, food workers, elders over 75 years old and those with chronic medical illness.”

Pace added, “We are currently working through established medical systems to distribute and administer these vaccines. Public Health will also provide targeted immunization clinics in the coming weeks.”

Updates on vaccination availability will be posted on the Public Health website at http://health.co.lake.ca.us.

Updates to testing services

Pace said COVID-19 testing availability is an essential part of containing the spread.

Due to the weather, and some contract changes with the state, OptumServe will begin providing regular testing in Lake County Jan. 4.

“We are excited about this change, as it will improve the ability of Lake County residents to get tested,” Pace said.

The two test sites will be indoors, not drive-thru:

· Lakeport: Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Silveira Community Center, 500 N. Main St.

· Lower Lake: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Lower Lake Town Hall, 16195 Main St.

Appointments can be made online, at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by phone. Walk-in slots will also be available. Children can now get tested, as well as adults.

General information on testing with OptumServe can be found at https://covid19.ca.gov/get-tested/.

Rite Aid is also now conducting Drive-Thru testing in Clearlake and Ukiah. Appointments can be made online: https://www.riteaid.com/pharmacy/services/covid-19-testing.

The Lakeport drive-thru site still has three more days of testing: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 28, 29 and 30. The standup site in Clearlake has closed.

“Many thanks to Verily and the volunteers and others that made our drive-thru sites possible,” Pace said.

This article has been corrected to show that Lower Lake will have testing on Thursdays, not Fridays.