Petaluma JC vaccine clinic opens. Here’s who is getting their shots.

A public vaccination clinic at Santa Rosa Junior College’s Petaluma campus opened Tuesday, initially serving residents aged 70 and up.

The clinic, administered by a county partnership with the Petaluma Health Center, is the first of three mass vaccination sites launching across Sonoma County this month as inoculation efforts move from healthcare workers to at-risk senior residents.

The clinic, located at the campus’ fitness center, will be able to administer jabs to approximately 300 people per day, county health officials say.

Appointments are currently by invitation only, with officials reaching out to seniors deemed particularly vulnerable or unable to coordinate their own visits. While there is no concrete date when the clinic will allow those 70 and up to make appointments, County Spokesman Matt Brown said they’re hoping to reach that stage in about a week.

The Petaluma clinic is one in a trio of mass vaccination centers opening its doors in the next few weeks, including the Huerta Gym in Windsor and Sonoma Valley Veterans Memorial Hall, which will bring the total number of county-partnered vaccination sites to 19 by the end of the week.

It also marks the second county-supported clinic in Petaluma, alongside the drive-thru location at the Safeway along McDowell Boulevard, which is open to those 70 and older.

It will be the second time the east-side Petaluma junior college will serve in the county’s ongoing efforts to contain the pandemic, following a stint as a free public testing site last year.

“It’s a massive undertaking to do this vaccination effort, and the way I look at it is the JC will play a small but significant role in allowing the vaccine to reach many south county residents,” said SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong.

County representatives advise residents to sign up for SoCo Alerts for the latest information on vaccine distribution efforts and options.

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com, on Twitter @KathrynPlmr.)