County Conducting Vaccination Super-Site Event for Seniors at Auto Club Speedway
Appointments will be available for residents age 65 and over
As part of an ongoing effort to significantly expand COVID-19 vaccinations, San Bernardino County is conducting a vaccination “super site” event geared toward seniors at the Auto Club Speedway (9300 Cherry Avenue in Fontana) on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The event will offer vaccines primarily to people aged 65 and older who live or work in San Bernardino County. Other vaccine-eligible groups, namely frontline health care personnel and emergency services professionals who live or work in the county, will also be served.
The County will announce tomorrow what the process will be for making appointments. Vaccines remain in short supply and vaccinations will be limited to the first 3,500 individuals who secure an appointment.
“While we are unable to immediately accommodate everyone who would like to be vaccinated, establishing this large, centrally located site represents an important milestone in our battle against the coronavirus,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “We plan to announce additional vaccination sites throughout the county, including mobile vaccination teams, as soon as the State provides the County with sufficient doses.”
The Ontario Convention Center will open as a vaccination site on Thursday, February 4, and operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments for this location will become available next week.
Appointments may also be available through non-County providers, including hospitals, pharmacies and physician practices. Keep in mind, more events and sites are coming! A list of all vaccine providers, along with links for setting an online appointment, can be found at https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine/locations/. Individuals having trouble with online registration can call the county’s information hotline at 909-387-3911 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Residents receiving an initial dose at Tuesday’s Auto Club Speedway event will be able to immediately schedule an appointment to receive their second dose at a follow-up speedway event on March 2.
Those who secure a Tuesday appointment should expect to be onsite for approximately one hour, and are being asked to arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to their scheduled time. While the actual vaccination process only takes a minute or so, recipients will then be monitored by medical staff for 15 minutes to ensure they don’t experience a negative reaction. (Most patients’ reactions are comparable to those received following a flu shot.)
“We are doing everything we can to make the process as easy and efficient as possible; nevertheless, we are advising those with appointments to anticipate some waiting time,” Hagman said. “We suggest bringing a book or magazine to read and perhaps some water to drink. Also, while portable restrooms will be available onsite for emergencies, we are encouraging people to visit a restroom immediately prior to their visit.”
Event attendees will be required to wear a mask and to maintain social distancing. They also will be asked to remain in their respective vehicles until otherwise instructed by a medical professional.
Hagman emphasized that the speedway event is only one of the vaccination opportunities the County is preparing, and said that additional vaccination locations will be announced soon.
“The speedway event is centrally located for a large percentage of county residents,” Hagman said. “We understand that the location is not optimal for those living in the desert and mountain communities. We want to make sure everyone has an opportunity to get vaccinated, so we will be announcing additional events and locations soon for these areas.”
County residents are encouraged to visit the county’s vaccination web pages often for updated information on vaccine availability and dispensing locations.
Arroyo Valley H.S. Administering Second Doses Today and Tomorrow
Continuing an aggressive effort to further expand its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, San Bernardino County has established a vaccination site exclusively focused on administering second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Located at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino, the site is currently scheduling vaccinations for residents who received an initial dose of the Pfizer vaccine on or before January 7. Appointments are available for today (January 28) and tomorrow (Friday, January 29).
“We have been actively contacting residents who received the first shot and encouraging them to take advantage of this opportunity,” said County Public Health Director Corwin Porter. “We are strongly urging everyone who has already received a shot to come in for the follow-up. Those who haven’t heard from us should check their spam folders or simply register for an appointment online.”
Eligible residents can register here for an appointment today. Those seeking an appointment tomorrow should register here. Residents who schedule an appointment will receive a confirmation notice, and are asked to bring that confirmation notice, along with personal identification, to their appointment; walk-ins will not be accepted.
People who received their first dose at a local hospital, pharmacy or physician’s office should contact their provider to learn when and where they can obtain a second dose.
Porter emphasized that Arroyo Valley High School is just the first of several second-dose vaccination sites being set up by the County, and said that additional locations will be announced shortly.
“We are actively working to establish second dose-only sites throughout the County, including in the High Desert, Morongo Basin, mountain communities and elsewhere in County,” Porter said.
Arroyo Valley High School is located at 1881 W Base Line St, in San Bernardino. For more information on the County’s overall vaccination efforts, please visit https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine.
 “We Must be Patient” says Public Health Director in Message to County Residents
The County’s Public Health Director Corwin Porter shared this video for persons aged 65 and over, covering what the County is doing to get vaccinations in the arms of our 65 and over population.
With the state and counties all waiting for more vaccine doses, public health officials are encouraging people to register for alerts and be patient until manufacturers can catch-up on supplies that will be coming in the next several weeks. Porter also shares what the County is planning in the future to reach all older residents.
“We hope to have more vaccines soon, but in the meantime, we are doing our best to work through this process with all our partners to make vaccines available as quickly as possible to our 65 plus population,” he said.
Police Officers and Firefighters Begin Receiving Their Vaccinations
As part of the Phase 1A vaccination schedule, public safety professionals have begun to receive their first doses of the vaccine. This week, doctors and staff from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, led by ARMC Emergency Medicine physician Michael Neeki, M.D., administered COVID-19 vaccinations to Fontana Police Department officers and staff. Other police departments were encouraged to stop by and receive their shots as well.
Sheriff Update on Inmates and Employees Testing Positive for COVID
A total of 933 County jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Many of the inmates are only experiencing minor symptoms of the virus. The infected inmates are in isolation, being monitored around the clock, and are being provided with medical treatment. A total of 913 inmates have recovered from the illness.
A total of 958 department employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating at home; 876 employees have recovered from the virus. Other employees are expected to return to work in the next few weeks. It is unknown when or where the employees were infected with the virus. The department continues to encourage all department members to heed the warnings of health officials.
Latest Stats
271,189 Confirmed Cases (up 0.7% from the previous day)
1,776 Deaths (up 1.7% from the previous day)
2,175,604 Tests (up 0.7% from the previous day)
For more statistics from the COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, click the desktop or mobile
tab on the County’s sbcovid19.com website.
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