More COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics Open In Riverside County

Toni McAllister
·3 min read

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — After a difficult day Thursday for Riverside County residents who bumped into frustrating technology glitches while attempting to sign up for COVID-19 vaccination clinics, the county announced Friday it is opening more appointments for the vaccine.

This time around, the process might be smoother.

Riverside County will open appointments at noon Saturday, Jan. 23, for next week’s no-charge county-operated vaccine clinics in Corona, Menifee, Beaumont and Indio.

The signup process will be the same: Residents who want to get vaccinated must go to the "new" Riverside University Health System-Public Health vaccine website www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine starting at noon Saturday to register for an appointment. Residents 65 years of age or older who need help registering can call 2-1-1.

Approximately 10,000 appointments will be available for anyone within Phase 1A (all tiers) and Phase 1B (tier 1), which includes people 65 years of age or older. (See who's eligible here.) All clinics on Mondays and Fridays are reserved only for seniors, according to the county.

During Thursday's vaccination clinic sign-up process, the county's website crashed multiple times due to the number of people attempting to book appointments. Patch heard from dozens of disappointed community members who tried for hours to log onto the county site, only to learn that all appointments were filled.

The public outcry prompted the county to issue a statement Thursday evening announcing a change to its appointment-making website.

"Residents are understandably frustrated that the appointment website did not perform today," said Juan C. Perez, interim county executive officer. "While we worked with our vendor to ensure it would be operational today, unfortunately, it was not. Frankly, that's unacceptable. We apologize for this unfortunate situation and will soon direct residents to a new website."

Thursday's debacle was not the first. Residents eager to get vaccinated faced the same setbacks last week on the county's website.

For those who are able to make appointments during Saturday's registration process, the county said proof of eligibility (badge, business identification, letter of proof from employer, or identification card/driver's license for those 65 and older) will be required at next week's vaccination clinics.

"If an individual cannot show proof of eligibility or does not have an appointment they will be turned away," the county said.

The clinics will be open Monday, Jan. 25 through Friday, Jan. 29. Hours of operation will be 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Appointments are required at all sites, on all days.

On Mondays and Fridays, the following locations will be open for seniors only (65 and older):

Corona High School

1150 W. 10th Street

Corona, CA 92882


Heritage High School

26001 Briggs Road

Menifee, CA 92585


San Gorgonio Middle School

1591 Cherry Avenue

Beaumont, CA 92223


Indio Fairgrounds (Fullenwider Auditorium)

46350 Arabia Street

Indio, CA 92201

Tuesdays through Thursdays, the same clinic locations will be open for everyone in Phase 1A (all tiers) and Phase 1B (tier 1) as well as those 65 and over.

Medical insurance information will be requested at the clinics, although not required.

The county site will continue to link to the state’s vaccine registration portal. If all appointments are booked when completing the state’s registration, users will not be able to secure a time.

For more information and to schedule an appointment, visit www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine.

This article originally appeared on the Murrieta Patch