Kern County officials announced the drive thru vaccination clinic at the Kern County Fairgrounds is set to open Wednesday.

The opening of the 14-lane drive thru operation will allow for a significant increase in daily vaccinations.

“Currently, we are averaging approximately 1,700 doses per day,” said Michelle Corson, the spokeswoman for the Kern County Public Health Department. “We have the ability to administer approximately 5,000 doses per day with both drive thru and walk up running.”

The County’s goal is to vaccinate 920,000 people in Kern county twice, Tom Beckett, the Technology Services Manager at Kern County Public Health, said in January at a Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting. This includes the goal of eventually administering 5,000 vaccines a day at the mass vaccination site 7 days a week, 12 hours a day.

The number of lanes that will be open is determined by how many vaccines they have according to Corson. 

Majority of the population is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, including those who are 16 years or older.

If Kern County continues at its current rate of vaccinating residents it will take approximately 44 more weeks to vaccinate all residents 16 and over, according to health officials. 

To make an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, you can visit myturn.com or call Public Health Call Center at 661-321-3000.

On Monday, Kern Public Health announced 33 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 107,374 cases.

Featured photo: Fourteen lanes will lead people driving in their vehicles to the drive through Covid-19 vaccination facility at the Kern County Fair Grounds. When the facility opens it will greatly increase the ability to vaccinate area residents. Photo by Freelance photojournalist, Henry A. Barrios for Kern Sol News