First day of COVID-19 vaccinations in Menifee: Long lines

Residents with appointments waited outside the Heritage High School gym to receive a COVID-19 vaccination today.

Hundreds of people lined up outside the gym at Heritage High School in Menifee today, the first day COVID-19 vaccinations were offered at that location.

According to an announcement made by the Riverside County Health Department on Wednesday, free vaccinations will be continue to be available at Heritage High and other locations listed at this link. Many found it difficult to get an appointment on the first day at any of the county locations, however, as slots filled up quickly and will continue to do so.

Health officials urge residents to keep monitoring the COVID-19 vaccine website as additional appointments are released. All were listed as full at mid-day today. At this point, only people age 65 and older and essential workers as defined on the website are eligible to receive the shot.

There was some confusion among residents about the vaccination sites because the website originally listed Heritage High as a "walk-in" site. But Fire Department employees staffing the site explained to the crowd that although Heritage is a walk-in site as opposed to a drive-through site, appointments are still necessary.

Many in line outside the Heritage gym waited two hours or more. Regardless of their appointment time, residents were served on a first-come, first-serve basis as long as they could confirm their appointment with paperwork, ID and/or email notice of appointment shown on their phone.

The County Health website also provided a link to community partners who are offering vaccinations elsewhere locally as well. That link can be found here.

Those who were served at the Heritage High site received the Moderna vaccine. They were told they must receive a second Moderna vaccination no sooner than 28 days from today.

Anyone who believes they qualify for a vaccination in this first round of eligibility should consult the county website. Additional sites will be added, officials said.