Fresno County Health Officials Urge Public To Take COVID-19 Vaccine

Fresno County health officials are urging residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when available to them. They are currently distributing daily doses of the Pfizer vaccine to hospitals.

Now that the FDA has approved the Moderna COVID-19 for emergency use, officials are expecting more doses to arrive in the Central Valley as soon as next week.

"We are in a very grim, challenging time when it comes to the pandemic," Fresno County Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra told ABC30.

Fresno County received their first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, December 14. Dr. Vohra was administered the vaccine on Friday, December 18.

"It wasn't even a pinprick, I hardly felt," he said, encouraging others to get vaccinated when they can.

The Fresno health department anticipates that the vaccine will be available to the general public around late spring or early summer of next year.

"We are working with our community-based organizations, just to help them reach out to the communities that they serve and really get feedback about what those concerns are - and help people find good information," said Dr. Vohra.

Fresno County is expecting to receive 14,800 Moderna vaccines and 3,900 Pfizer vaccines in the next week.

"This is our best at reopening and we really need to take it," said Dr. Vohra.

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