UC San Diego Health’s medical system is the first in the county to administer vaccines for the expanded pool, officials said on Friday.
So far, facilities in San Diego – many of which said earlier this week that they would follow state and CDC guidelines and begin administering injections to residents age 65 and older – have limited dose administration to Level 1A members, who are mainly health professionals and residents of social assistance facilities.
In fact, the county released a statement on the same day about some advancing hospitals: “San Diegans 65 years of age or older are the next priority group for the COVID-19 vaccination. However, due to the limited supply of doses in the region, only a few health care providers have a vaccine available for their patients in this group. “
UC San Diego health began vaccinating patients on Thursday.
“[The] The goal is to vaccinate about 500 patients a day at UC San Diego health facilities, “UC San Diego Health said in a press release released on Friday afternoon.” This adds to the nearly 10,000 UC San Diego Health employees who have already received the first doses in Phase 1A. “
Thousands of residents of assisted living institutions are waiting to receive their COVID-19 vaccines. Alexis Rivas of NBC 7 spoke to a newly vaccinated elderly man about the process.
Dalia Talamantez was one of the first in the group of more than 65 Level 1B patients to receive an injection.
“I am being vaccinated because I want to be protected from the virus,” Talamantez is quoted in the press release sent by UCSD Health. “I was inspired to receive this vaccine because I saw many relatives and friends affected by this virus. So, for me, it is absolutely wonderful and delicious to have achieved this soon. “
The vaccine’s launch in the US is moving more slowly than expected and is causing concern among those who are most at risk of contracting COVID-19, reports Melissa Adan of NBC 7
Patients at serious risk of COVID-19 infection and with morbidities are being prioritized by UCSD, officials said. Those who are eligible “will receive a direct invitation to be vaccinated through their electronic medical record or a direct call from their health care provider”.
UCSD health officials, concerned about excessive phone lines, are asking patients not to call healthcare providers directly and instead to wait to be contacted.
The county also said on Friday that when it is ready to start vaccinating the group over 65, it will make a variety of efforts to contact those who are eligible, including posting information at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine .
One reason the group of more than 65 patients had high priority is that their members are more likely to die from the disease. Another is the general frustration with the slow implantation of the vaccine, leading many states to open the eligibility for the 54 million elderly people in the country.
On Wednesday, state public health officials followed federal guidance by announcing that people aged 65 and over can now receive the vaccine, joining the next eligible level of emergency workers, teachers, child care providers and food and agriculture workers grouped in Level 1B. The decision perplexed some employees, who said they did not even have enough doses to vaccinate Level 1A people.
San Diego County, where 3.3 million people live, received more than 241,000 doses and administered more than 92,000 of them – although the overall number is likely to be higher because vaccines are also being provided by the departments of Defense and Veterans for the vast military presence in the region.
San Diego has approximately 620,000 health professionals and residents of long-term health institutions at Level 1A. Making people 65 and older eligible for the vaccine adds another 500,000 people to the mix.
“It’s great that the state said, ‘Hey, people 65 and over are eligible to get the vaccines,’ but that requires the counties to actually have the vaccines,” said county supervisor Nathan Fletcher.
California received more than 2.4 million doses of vaccine as of Monday, but only a third of them were used. Meanwhile, local governments are moving quickly to establish massive vaccine distribution sites in hopes of convincing state and federal authorities to send them more doses. San Diego opened the so-called supercenter this week in the Tailgate Park parking lot outside Petco Park, where thousands of people took pictures.