Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to open COVID-19 vaccination appointments for everyone over 16 on April 15 is based more on policy than what is best for California.
The governor, who faces a possible revocation vote this fall, wants Californians to believe his premise that the state has a “robust” vaccination record and that we are just a few weeks away from fully reopening the economy.
But Bay Area County officials say it will probably take months before they can vaccinate everyone who wants an injection, which will only add to the residents’ frustration. Santa Clara County executive Jeff Smith said on Friday that the governor’s decision will also make it much more difficult for low-income and underserved communities to gain access to vaccination. California is already in the top five in terms of vaccine equality.
Let’s be clear. From the beginning, California’s vaccination record has been plagued by insufficient doses and mass confusion about how to get an appointment. The governor should not open appointments for a broader age group until he can demonstrate that California is meeting current demand. The state continues to outperform other states in this effort.
President Biden promised Thursday that the country will administer 200 million doses by the end of his first 100 days in office (April 30). And Newsom said the state should receive about 2.5 million injections per week in the first half of April and more than 3 million doses per week in the second half of the month. But local county officials say they are not receiving the doses they expected to receive from the state in recent weeks. The state is also not being transparent about how many doses the counties can expect to receive in the coming weeks.
“We are concerned starting next week on April 1, when we add an additional 400,000 people (eligible for vaccination) that we do not have the vaccine,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Santa County COVID-19 vaccine and testing officer Clear. “So, we really just want to alert people to continue to be patient.”
At the national level, vaccine producer Johnson & Johnson has struggled to meet its delivery goals and is still plagued by production problems. Johnson & Johnson has already reduced its target from 37 million to 20 million doses by the end of March. The company’s contract with the federal government provides that Johnson & Johnson will deliver an additional 50 million doses by the end of June.
Bay Area county officials said they are able to provide additional vaccines if the supply increases. Smith said Santa Clara County is capable of making 30,000 vaccinations a day, seven days a week, but to achieve that goal the county would need to receive three times as many doses as it is currently receiving.
The governor has a lot of work to do to prove to Californians that he can keep his vaccination promises.