Amid the chaotic launch of the vaccine in California, rumors began to swirl on Monday that Bay Area vaccination centers had extra doses that needed to be used quickly, so that anyone – not just health professionals – could be vaccinated in Alameda or Santa Clara counties with a specific registration link. Some essential workers, including those in the restaurant industry, sent each other the same links, believing their time had come sooner.
To schedule a vaccination appointment, individuals would normally have to sign a certificate, under penalty of perjury, that they meet the criteria, such as being a doctor. After signing, they would be instructed to make an appointment on Calvax.org, a state website. The links circulating this week have allowed people to ignore the certificate.
More than 100 people attended a few days this week at vaccination sites in Santa Clara County, although they did not qualify for the vaccine, according to county attorney James Williams. Those who did not qualify were rejected.
Many more people went to the locations in Alameda County, arriving to see large signs saying the doses were reserved for health professionals. Public health officials said they did not know the source of the links that allow people to dodge screening questions. They asked anyone who signed up for an appointment through the links to cancel so the schedule could go to a health professional.
Sandy Morse, who did not have an appointment on Tuesday, said he felt bad about accepting a vacancy that should have been handed over to someone else. It was a challenge for her and her husband, Bob, to get them: they always updated the site and did not see availability. Finally, her daughter-in-law got two spots for the Morses, both over 75 years old. They made a double mask, drove from Redwood City to Castro Valley and joined the queue, before an employee told them that the Calvax website should have noticed that only health professionals should register, Sandy said.
At that time, Bob said he felt he understood why the vaccine launch in California is moving so slowly compared to other states – and he wanted to know how this mess could happen.
“The method of administering the vaccines is so disjointed and out of step with reality and also a deep and obscure secret,” he said.
Although Jeffrey Smith, a Santa Clara County executive, doesn’t believe the Calvax system has been hacked, he said during Tuesday’s supervisors’ meeting that someone “had access to Calvax inappropriately.”
On Wednesday, a new line appeared at the top of the Calvax registration page stating that vaccines are available only to those in the state’s Phase 1A, which includes only health professionals and long-term residents. (Some counties are vaccinating the elderly in the general population, but through different websites.)
It is unclear exactly how many people signed up for vaccination in this way. A California Department of Public Health spokesman said the state does not track the eligibility of people who apply for vaccine appointments.
The Horses feared that the vaccines they undertook to have would be discarded, but Neetu Balram, of the Alameda County Department of Public Health, said that no vaccine is wasted.
Janet Levy, general manager of Oakland’s Hopscotch restaurant, was surprised when she received an email from her boss on Monday saying that food workers could get vaccines. But she didn’t argue – she clicked on the link and chose the first available spot for Tuesday’s noon. Upon arriving, she was discouraged when she saw a sign outside, saying “Only health professionals”.
“I am an essential worker and my exposure is quite large for many people,” she said. “I am still working with the public and many people who refuse to wear masks.”
For Levy, the error shows how the state needs more support for the proper distribution of vaccines. Others may not be so forgiving. Jenny Schwarz, a co-owner of Hopscotch and Nido’s Backyard in Oakland, said the link “went viral” among Bay Area restaurant workers.
“We went from working in fine restaurants to working in fast food. It’s slow, sad and depressing, ”she said. “I haven’t been able to give good news (to my team) for a long time, so when I gave it, they were very excited.”
Having to cancel your appointments is demoralizing, Schwarz said. She is concerned that restaurant employees, who were already skeptical about the vaccine, would be even less inclined to sign up when the time comes.
“Thinking that they can sign up and feel like it’s a scam will make them trust less next time,” she said.
The inconvenience for people is unfortunate, said Dr. George Rutherford, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, but he is not surprised that there are still problems with the launch.
“Hopefully, next week, all of that will be resolved,” he said.
Janelle Bitker is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @janellebitker