COVID-19 vaccines went into the arms of Californians at a record rate this week, a promising acceleration that occurs even as authorities continue to warn of restricted supplies in the near future and the state stubbornly lags behind many others in terms of extent doses are being distributed.
The past five days saw the top five totals in a single day in terms of shots fired across the state, according to data compiled by The Times. During that time alone, nearly 2 million doses were administered across the state – including 344,489 on Thursday alone.
The recent torrent of inoculations, however, belies the biggest challenge that has prevented and will continue to prevent the race to vaccinate as many Californians as possible as quickly as possible, at least in the immediate future: the scarcity of supplies.
“We don’t have enough vaccines. I could double the capacity today if you gave me these vaccines, ”said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday during an interview with Dr. Howard Koh, a professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
These interruptions in the flow of vaccines persist even as California increases the number of residents who are eligible.
Where are we with vaccinations?
California received 1.7 million doses of vaccine last week, according to Governor Gavin Newsom. That distribution grew slightly to 1.75 million this week and was expected to be 1.8 million next week.
Although growing slightly, remittances of this size would probably not be enough for the state to maintain the rate of vaccination seen in recent days.
To date, nearly 13.8 million injections have been administered across the state – about 78% of the total supply that has been delivered to local public health departments and medical service providers, according to the California Department of Public Health .
Two of the vaccines approved for use in the United States – one from Pfizer-BioNTech and the other from Moderna – require two doses, given weeks apart. The third, from Johnson & Johnson, requires only one.
How does this compare nationally?
To date, 23.5% of Californians have received at least one dose of vaccine – a proportion that ranks 33rd among all U.S. states and territories, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In comparison, 31.4% of the population of New Mexico has already had at least one injection, as well as 29.6% of the inhabitants of Alaska and 29% of those living in South Dakota.
California performs better compared to more populous states. As of Friday, 24.3% of residents had been shot in Pennsylvania, 24.2% in New York, 22.2% in Florida and 20.9% in Texas, CDC data show.
Across the country, 23.3% of Americans received at least one dose and 12.6% of the country’s total population is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.
Approximately 11.8% of all Californians have been fully vaccinated.
California is a little bit ahead of the national curve when it comes to vaccinating its oldest residents. Approximately 71.9% of residents aged 65 and over received at least one dose, according to the CDC, compared to the national number of 67.1%.
What does the pipeline look like?
Officials expressed optimism that the vaccine supply will grow in the coming weeks, especially as Johnson & Johnson vaccine shipments, which were interrupted by production problems, begin to arrive regularly.
“You heard that from the president himself. You heard from the CEOs responsible for making these vaccines that we will be in a completely different place in about six weeks, as we see a significant increase in the supply of manufactured goods, ”said Newsom during a meeting on Tuesday.
President Biden said last week that restrictions on who could make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine would be lifted across the country by May 1, as the offer is expected to be sufficient to meet demand.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services has since issued a formal order to that effect, according to Andy Slavitt, a senior adviser to the president’s task force COVID-19.
“Even as we take steps to expand eligibility for vaccines before May 1, we continue to emphasize to states the importance of prioritizing vaccination for high-risk populations,” he said during a briefing on Wednesday.
Who is qualified now?
Almost half of all Californians – including adults aged 65 and over, health workers, educators, people who are incarcerated or living in homeless shelters, essential workers such as those in the food industry or emergency services, health workers, public transport and caretakers, and residents of 16 and the elderly who have underlying disabilities or health problems – are eligible for the vaccine.
The list is not exhaustive, as the state continues to offer specifications for those who qualify in the various categories.
How do you get the vaccine?
Californians with disabilities or qualifying underlying health conditions do not need to submit documentation of their condition to enter the vaccination queue. Instead, everyone will be asked to certify that they meet the criteria.
This allowance clears up the confusion about how high-risk people can prove their eligibility. Defenders have long pushed for a process that does not create unnecessary barriers, especially for those who are less mobile or are intellectually disabled.
The guidelines basically place a burden of trust on residents to accurately represent their eligibility. However, some officials expressed concern that the soft rules could be abused by those looking to cut the line.
These concerns do not come out of the blue. During implementation, some people falsified documents and used access codes improperly aimed at high-risk communities to try to take pictures before their turn.
Authorities are asking residents to work with their health care professionals to get vaccines.
“Check with your usual health care provider first to see if they have vaccines and consultations available. Health care providers who have vaccines can also start looking for you, as a patient with a significant high-risk medical condition or disability known to the provider, to schedule your vaccine appointment, ”said the state.
Other options include local pharmacies, local health departments, community pop-up clinics or using the My Turn website. The access details can be found:
- Online at myturn.ca.gov. The MyTurn website is accessible to people with disabilities and in eight languages: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese.
- Or by calling the COVID-19 hotline at (833) 422-4255 from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday, or from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, on Saturdays and Sundays.