COVID-19 Vaccines

The Alameda County Health Care Services Agency (HCSA) encourages Alameda County residents to get vaccinated with the first vaccine available to you.

Any of the COVID-19 vaccines will help protect your health and decrease your risk of developing severe complications due to COVID-19, including hospitalization and death.

Getting vaccinated will help protect all of us from COVID-19 and it is crucial everyone is vaccinated as soon as a vaccine is available to you.

While vaccine supplies remain limited, HCSA encourages residents to be patient for their turn to receive the vaccine. You can sign up to receive notifications for when it is your turn to be vaccinated with both the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) or the California Department of Health (CDPH):

Register with CDPH:
- MyTurn (website available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Korean, Arabic, and Vietnamese)
  - Having trouble? Don’t have an email address or mobile phone? Call the CA COVID-19 Hotline at 1-833-422-4255 (M-F, 8 AM-8 PM; Sa-Su, 8 AM-5 PM) for assistance. The hotline supports over 250 languages.

When there is enough vaccine to expand appointments, they will share that information widely and you will be notified when it is your turn to be vaccinated.

Please continue to be patient and allow them to finish vaccinating your neighbors who are at most risk for severe illness that may result in hospitalization or death, or those who cannot work from home and are at most risk of exposure because they work directly with the public. It is their goal to vaccinate eligible County residents as fast as possible while also ensuring equitable access.

As you wait your turn to get the vaccine and even after you have received your vaccine, please continue to follow all COVID-19 safety precautions to reduce your risk of contracting the virus:

Get tested (CDPH’s When to Test and Re-Test video includes guidance on testing for COVID-19)
Wear a mask that covers your nose and chin
Ensure your mask fits snugly and air does not escape through the sides
Practice social distancing (keep a minimum 6-feet of distance from people you do not live with)
Keep socially distanced gatherings outdoors, limit to three households, and limit the length of the gathering
Avoid indoor gatherings where circulation is poor and the risk for contracting COVID-19 drastically increases

For more information on Alameda County’s COVID-19 vaccination guidance and resources, please visit ACPHD’s dedicated COVID-19 Vaccine page.

For updates on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans in Alameda County, visit the following page from the Alameda County Public Health Department:

COVID-19 Vaccination or
Email questions to covax@acgov.org

To receive a notification of when vaccine might be available for you, please fill out one of these forms:

Please note, this is NOT a registration to receive vaccine.

ACPHD will contact you with further details about where vaccine will be available when it’s your turn.

Permanent COVID-19 Vaccination Sites in Alameda County

Federal, state, county, and other health care partners are offering COVID-19 vaccinations throughout Alameda County:

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (State/Federal)

Hours of Operation: Monday-Sunday, 9 AM-7 PM

Currently vaccinating Health Care Workers, persons ages 65+, essential workers in food/agriculture, educators/child care providers, and emergency services.

Eligible residents will be notified through MyTurn.

AC Transit and BART are both offering transportation assistance to and from the Coliseum site. You will need to provide proof of your appointment in order to use the free vaccine shuttles. Visit AC Transit’s website and BART’s website for more information on these programs.

Alameda County Fairgrounds (Alameda County, Sutter Health, & Stanford Health Care)

Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday, 8 AM-4:30 PM

Currently vaccinating Health Care Workers, persons ages 65+, and some essential workers

If you are a resident of Alameda County and aged 65 or older, you can make an appointment online. For more information, visit the Alameda County Fairgrounds’ COVID-19 Vaccine page.

Buchanan Parking: Golden Gate Fields (City of Berkeley & Alameda County)

Visit the City of Berkeley’s COVID-19 vaccine page for more information on hours of operation and how to schedule an appointment.

Currently vaccinating healthcare workers, persons ages 65+, some essential workers in food/agriculture, and child care providers.

Alameda County Points of Distribution (PODs)

These sites are by invitation only and are part of Alameda County Public Health Department’s (ACPHD) ongoing efforts to ensure the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed equitably throughout the county. These sites are currently vaccinating Health Care Workers, persons ages 65+, essential workers in food/agriculture, educators/child care providers, and emergency services.

Fremont High School in Oakland
Hours of Operation: Thursday-Saturday, 8 AM-4 PM

Fire Pop-Up PODs
Hours of Operation: Thursday-Saturday, 9 AM-7 PM

Upcoming Alameda County PODs: ACPHD is finalizing locations for PODs in deep East Oakland and Ashland/Cherryland. Check ACPHD’s COVID-19 Vaccine page for updates when these PODs are open.

Additional Vaccination Sites:
In addition to the sites operated by our public health partners, our health care partners such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, and CVS and Walgreens pharmacies are offering COVID-19 vaccines.

The Oaklandside has put together a comprehensive guide to getting a COVID-19 vaccine that will answer most questions about accessing the vaccine through these partners. The Oaklandside’s guide is also available in Spanish.

Volunteers Needed for Vaccine PODs

The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is seeking volunteers for the vaccine PODS.

California Health Corps: Register for the California Health Corps which is a State program for trained medical and healthcare workers to sign up and provide availability to assist in the COVID-19 response.
Note: Sign up for the Alameda County Unit
Medical Surge Volunteer Sign Up: Register as a volunteer with the County of Alameda to assist with the COVID-19 response. Medically and non-medically trained volunteers will be needed.
NOTE: Non-medical volunteers only need to complete this form

At this time, they are fortunate to have a large number of volunteer offers which may cause delays in the vetting system and background check process.

ACPHD will process these as quickly as possible in anticipation of needing additional volunteers as the vaccine allocation from the state increases. Thank you for your patience.

When it's your turn - Don't wait, Vaccinate

Christine Scherer, Registered Nurse, San Leandro Resident A registered nurse for more than 30 years, Christine Scherer, BSN, says the COVID pandemic has been the most difficult challenge she’s faced during her professional career. The fear and anxiety she felt about protecting herself while caring for infected patients was overwhelming. “Nursing is my passiion and for the first tme I wondered if I had the strength to keep doing my job,” she said. But the news of effective vaccines changed everything. “It made me hopeful and gave me a sense of control,” she said. “I wanted to get it as soon as possible.” Christine completed her two COVID vaccine does in mid-January, and worked her full shift in the telemetry stroke unit the day of her second dose. She did experience some mild side effects. “I had a sore arm where the injection was given, and I was not my usual energetic self that day,” she said. “But by the next day, after a good night’s sleep, I felt my usual self.”

Have you been vaccinated? Would you like to share your story? Contact Lisa Mahoney