Changes in Riverside County vaccine distributions, clinic opening in Desert Hot Springs

Riverside County health officials have planned a series of changes to better serve residents and provide more opportunities for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The updated clinics, which will take effect this week, will also help provide better access to COVID-19 testing by converting the Perris Fairgrounds into a fulltime testing site.

“The changes that are planned will help provide vaccines in locations where they are needed and give greater access to residents in those communities,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of Public Health. “We wish to thank the Corona-Norco Unified school District for its cooperation with the Corona High School site, which was a great location for the community.”

Here are the changes:

–Three sites will be opened Wednesday and operated by OptumServe in Norco (1377 Hamner Ave.), Temecula (39716 Winchester Road) and Desert Hot Springs (11711 West Drive).

–The vaccine site at the Lake Elsinore Stadium, which previously operated two days a week, will be expanded to hours Thursday through Monday. The site will be operated by Curative.

–The Indio Fairgrounds vaccine site will convert from county- to Curative-run location.

–The Corona High School vaccine site will close Friday (March 5); the staff from the location will be assigned to a new vaccine clinic in Moreno Valley. The location of the Moreno Valley clinic will be announced soon.  Those who received their first dose at Corona High School will be notified when and where to receive their second dose.

–The Perris Fairgrounds site, which provided vaccine two days a week, will be converted to a COVID-19 testing site and be opened seven days a week. This change will take effect Tuesday (March 2).

“We are excited to have more vaccine sites open for our residents to get vaccinated as quickly as possible and closer to their communities,” said Board Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. “These vaccines are working to protect our residents and help our community recover from this disease.”

Health officials remind community members to protect themselves by wearing their face masks, practice social distancing, frequently wash their hands, and avoid large gatherings.

To make an appointment at a county-run clinic, or those operated by Curative or OptumServe in Riverside County, click www.rivcoph.org/covid-19-vaccine. Appointment links to the new clinics will be posted to the website as soon as they are available.