The San Francisco department of public health said it would close its two high-volume COVID-19 vaccination sites for the next few days due to “limited, inconsistent and unpredictable” supplies.
In a statement on Sunday, officials said the city’s websites at the Moscone Center and City College of San Francisco have increased vaccine supplies by the department, pharmacies and healthcare providers to an average of 7,400 doses in the past seven days.
These figures helped to increase the percentage of the city’s population over 65 who received the vaccine from 31% at the beginning of last week to 47%.
But the shrinking offer is forcing tough choices, including closing the city’s Moscone Center site for a week. This location, managed in partnership by Kaiser Permanente, Adventist Health, the California Medical Association, Dignity Health, Futuro Health and the California Primary Care Association, will reopen as soon as enough vaccines arrive to resume efforts.
The City College website will take a break this week before reopening on Friday, but only to provide a second dose. A third high-volume website at SF Market in the city’s Bayview neighborhood is yet to open later this week, handling scheduled appointments without cancellation, but limiting other available consultations, reserving them only with confirmed vaccine supplies.
“The supply of the vaccine that reaches health providers in San Francisco and the Department of Public Health (DPH) is limited, inconsistent and unpredictable, making vaccine implantation difficult and denying the San Franciscans this potentially saving intervention,” officials said in leaves on Sunday.
According to the city’s health department, the city administered more than 190,000 of 262,000 doses to residents of the city and the region, and plans to use the remaining supply for the first scheduled appointments and second doses.
City officials opened the high-volume sites last month with the goal of vaccinating the entire population of the city by June 30. This would require more than 1.5 million doses to vaccinate more than 760,000 residents over the age of 16. Authorities said on Sunday.
Anyone looking for updates on the city’s vaccine efforts can visit the city’s website at https://sf.gov/covid-19-vaccine-san-francisco. People who live and work in San Francisco can sign up for vaccine notifications at sf.gov/vaccinenotify.
Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.