Officials across Southern California are opening more locations to administer the coronavirus vaccine. But there are concerns that the scarcity in vaccine doses may worsen before it improves.
Authorities said the biggest problem at the moment is getting enough vaccine to meet demand. At current rates, it may be June before Californians 65 and older are fully vaccinated. And complete vaccination in places like LA County may not be possible until 2022.
Dr. Paul Simon, director of science for the county’s Department of Public Health, said on Friday that if weekly vaccine shipments increased to 500,000 doses, the county could immunize 75% of its adult population by mid-summer .
At the current rate, however, he said that “the vaccination effort is likely to continue until 2022”.
Another bottleneck has formed because part of the stock of available injections is reserved for second doses within the prescribed period of three or four weeks. When scarcity occurs, fewer vaccines are available for the first doses of the vaccine.
This is certainly the case in LA County, where Simon said on Friday that he thinks “most of the supply next week will go to second doses.”
“There will be some first doses offered, but we want to be very careful, because we cannot, unfortunately, predict the supply chain even a few weeks in advance,” he said.
Simon acknowledged that there is tension “between wanting to vaccinate as many people with the first dose [and] trying to ensure that all vaccinees receive the full two-dose sequence. “
He added: “Vaccine testing was done with this two-dose regimen in mind. We know this works. We don’t know exactly what level of protection someone gets if there is a delay in the second dose. “
Here’s where we are:
Los Angeles County
Residents aged 65 and over can apply for an appointment with the county public health department Internet network location. Residents without access to a computer can call (833) 540-0473 between 8 am and 8:30 pm for help with reservations.
The city of Los Angeles is also offering the vaccine to people over 65, through a different online portal. This site connects patients to mass vaccination sites, including Dodger Stadium, San Fernando Recreation Park, Lincoln Park, Hansen Dam Recreation Area and Crenshaw Christian Center.
Orange county
Orange County is opening its second large-scale COVID-19 vaccination site on Saturday at Soka University in Aliso Viejo. The county launched its first vaccination center at Disneyland in Anaheim.
In the future, the county plans to operate five centers, which health officials say is the key to its goal of vaccinating all residents by July 4.
For now, only health professionals, residents of long-term care facilities and people aged 65 and over can be vaccinated in the centers.
But the increase in vaccination has been hampered by supply problems. The county depends on the state for its share of vaccine doses and has been ordering more daily, officials said.
San Diego County
After a slow start to the launch of the San Diego County COVID-19 vaccine, the region has received 173,000 doses in the past few days, coinciding with the launch of a mass inoculation site in Chula Vista on Thursday.
Sharp HealthCare will run the site, located in an old Sears department store, from 10 am to 7 pm, seven days a week. County supervisor Nora Vargas said 1,800 people made an appointment on Thursday, and a Sharp representative added that the site will vaccinate 5,000 people a day next week.
It is the second such effort in the county. The first, administered by UC San Diego in the back parking lot of Petco Park, immunized more than 35,000 people, according to Dr. Christopher Longhurst, chief information officer at UCSD Health.
Unlike the location near Petco Park, the Chula Vista location will be walk-in instead of drive-through, although an appointment is required. It is the first vaccine site in the South Bay, which was hit hard by the pandemic. National City and Chula Vista have the highest and third highest rates of coronavirus infection, respectively, among cities in the county.
Inner empire
Information for Riverside County residents can be found at Riverside University Health System, while San Bernardino County residents can consult the county website. Both counties are offering vaccines with varying restrictions in several locations.
Ventura County
Ventura County is offering vaccines to residents aged 75 and over who can sign up for online appointments or by calling (805) 477-7151.