94-year-old woman was first to get vaccine at new Palm Springs clinic

Riverside County opened a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Palm Springs Convention Center Friday that is slated to be available on weekdays.

The first patient to receive their vaccine Friday was 95-year-old Palm Springs resident, Betty Snavely.

Watch her chat with Riverside County health officials here:

Palm Springs resident Betty Snavely, 95, was the first to receive at COVID vaccine today at the Palm Springs Convention Center. She tells us 'tickled' to receive the vaccine and we are tickled for her! https://t.co/ADOO9wPYAj #RivCoNOW #RUHealth

— Dr. Geoffrey Leung (@RivCoDoc) February 12, 2021

Santa Clara-based Curative Inc., which has been tapped to oversee numerous testing sites in Riverside County, will be inoculating people who both live and work in Riverside County using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the site, which will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the Riverside University Health System.

Appointments for Friday were snapped up within 90 minutes, continuing a trend seen at vaccine sites throughout the county in recent weeks stemming from an influx of demand and a shortage of supply.

County spokeswoman Brooke Federico said there were 350 appoints available for Friday, and that an estimated 500 appointments are expected to be available daily starting Monday. Appointment totals are based on daily supply, she said.

Appointment slots for next week were not online as of 11 a.m. Friday, and it was unclear when they would be. Curative is handling the appointments, not the county.

Appointments for the Palm Springs Convention Center site are required and can be made at https://curative.com/sites/25163. Anyone who needs assistance can call the county’s 211 help line.

"We recommend residents monitor the Curative website for updates on available appointments," Federico said.

The vaccinations are free, but Curative personnel will be collecting proof of eligibility such as employee badges, business identification and letters from employers.

All residents 65 years and over are eligible to receive vaccinations, as well as qualifying workers identified in Phase 1B of the California Department of Public Health’s guidelines, including hospital workers, first responders, teachers and some agricultural workers.

The Palm Springs Convention Center is located at 277 N. Avenida Caballeros.