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San Bernardino Co. Residents 16 And Older Eligible For COVID Vaccine

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA) – All San Bernardino County residents age 16 and older can receive the coronavirus vaccine beginning Wednesday.

San Bernardino
A Vietnam war veteran Kenneth Kim waits for second dose of coronavirus vaccine at San Bernardino County's mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Auto Club Speedway on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 in Fontana, CA.(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

It comes on the same day that San Bernardino County has been upgraded from the red to orange tier of California's reopening blueprint, which allows businesses to ease capacity restrictions and gives permission for bars to reopen for outdoor service, among other things.

Residents age 16 and 17 will have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian and can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

At least 785,000 doses have been administered in San Bernardino County so far.

RELATED: California Could Fully Reopen Without Tiered Schedule By June 15

"This represents another milestone in our effort to get this pandemic under control and return life to normal in San Bernardino County," Andrew Golfrach, San Bernardino County Interim Health Director, said in a statement Tuesday. "The disease is still with us, and we still need to remain cautious to avoid further outbreaks. Yet we have successfully vaccinated tens of thousands of our most vulnerable residents and have seen new cases and hospitalizations decrease rapidly, so we believe it's time to open appointments to everyone in the county."

On Tuesday, Riverside County also expanded vaccine eligibility to those 16 and older.

All of California will follow suit beginning April 15. Currently, anyone age 50 and older is eligible to receive the vaccine, along with healthcare workers, teachers, food workers, those with disabilities and those with preexisting conditions, along with several other sectors.

Under the orange tier, retailers, malls and grocery stores can operate at full capacity, while restaurants, movie theaters, museums, zoos and aquariums can operate at 50% capacity.

Gyms, wineries, breweries and bowling alleys can operate at 25% capacity, while, for the first time in months, bars can open outdoors.

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