Assemblymember Marc Levine (D–Marin County) | Contributed Photo
Assemblymember Marc Levine (D–Marin County) | Contributed Photo
Assemblymember Marc Levine (D–Marin County) recently announced that Sonoma and Marin Counties are receiving additional state funds to support upcoming vaccination efforts in the North Bay region.
"More #COVID19 vaccines are on their way," Levine said in a March 31 Twitter post. "This is great news for our health, our region and our state."
The announcement came as vaccine eligibility expanded to include all Californians age 50 and older, KSRO News reported. Sixty-thousand more Sonoma County residents are now eligible for the vaccination, but the county receives less than 12,000 doses per week. Funding will be used to increase vaccine supply.
“The additional $400,000 for both Sonoma and Marin Counties will further increase the North Bay’s capacity to get shots into the arms of people that need them as quickly as possible," Levine said in a statement. With more Californians becoming eligible for the vaccine, this additional investment will ensure that we can deliver more COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk communities in our region and across the state.”
Levine met with Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California to discuss how to streamline the rollout of vaccines. Blue Shield is currently the sole distributor of vaccines for the state of California.
“I spoke with Blue Shield CEO Paul Markovich and shared that the initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout created a lot of confusion with local health partners,” Levine said. “It’s clear that Blue Shield must increase its communication with county health departments so that every resident in my community and communities across the state have access to this lifesaving vaccine.”
The California Department of Public Health predicts vaccinations across the state to increase to 5.4 million doses by the middle of June.
Marc Levine was elected to California’s 10th Assembly District and has served Marin and Sonoma Counties since 2012.
Residents can obtain more information on the state's vaccination plan and how to make vaccination appointments here.
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