SANTA CLARA COUNTY – Health officials in Santa Clara County say the “insufficient” supply of the coronavirus vaccine they are receiving from the state may not improve significantly for “a few weeks”, forcing them to cancel thousands more of their medical appointments. first dose across the region.
“All we need to dramatically expand access to vaccines is more vaccine, and we are ready and waiting for that,” said county executive, Jeff Smith, in a statement on Thursday.
County officials continued to be irritated by the vaccine’s launch in the state, after loudly protesting plans that insurance giant Blue Shield would run the state’s vaccination program.
Millions of other Californians became eligible for vaccines on Monday, and an insufficient supply of vaccines means that many of them may not be able to make an appointment for weeks.
The county said on Thursday that it had again notified “several thousand” of Kaiser patients that their scheduled vaccination appointments at county vaccination sites between March 22 and 28 will be canceled.
These patients will be transferred back to Kaiser, which the state has ensured will have sufficient doses for its members, according to the county statement. The county also had to cancel thousands of appointments with Kaiser patients earlier this month.
“The state’s lack of sufficient supplies has been frustrating for everyone, especially those who are eligible for the vaccine and want to be vaccinated, but have failed to apply,” said Marty Fenstersheib, county chief of testing and vaccines, in a statement.
The county expects vaccine supply to “increase significantly across the state in a few weeks,” reinforced by additional shipments of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. The state promised earlier this month that a reliable flow of vaccines will arrive in early April, but details on the likely distribution of these doses are scarce.
“We want to see the significant capacity that we have built up to full use and we hope to open up the ability to mark the first dose more broadly as soon as the vaccine delivery allows,” said Smith.
Despite the current shortages, the county said it is focusing on using its limited supply of first-dose vaccines to vaccinate the “most disproportionately affected communities” in the region, such as food service workers and farmers in South County.
The county said it vaccinated food and farm workers at Lusamerica Foods and Kawahara Nursery in Morgan Hill this week. On Friday, it will operate a clinic in partnership with Olam Spices and the United Farm Workers Foundation in Gilroy, which will be open to workers from other farms.
“These vaccination events in South County at food production facilities and farms are essential to reaching our most at-risk frontline workers,” said county deputy executive Rocio Luna.
A special four-month investigation by this news organization found that Latinos in six counties in the Bay Area have case rates more than four times higher than White residents, and large disparities in testing and vaccination persist.
“The county will continue to do everything we can to ensure equitable access to vaccination and to prioritize communities at greatest risk,” said Luna.
Limited first-dose vaccines are also being offered through community-based locations in East San Jose and Eastridge Mall, in conjunction with Stanford Health Care, the county said. Preparations are also underway for drive-through vaccination at Gilroy High School, where a waiting station is already in operation.
Information on when and where you can get a vaccine in the county is available at sccFreeVax.org.