Health officials in eight bay area counties urged health systems on Wednesday to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for older residents amid a shortage of vaccine supplies in the region.
Health departments in Marin, Napa, Santa Cruz and Solano counties and their health partners are prioritizing vaccination for all residents aged 75 and over, while Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties will do the same with residents aged 65 and over.
The intention, according to health officials in the eight counties, is to limit coronavirus-related deaths, targeting the age group most at risk of death.
On January 28, an average of 83.6 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the eight counties were residents aged 65 and over.
“Three out of four COVID-19 deaths in Marin are among residents aged 75 and over,” said Marin County public health officer, Dr. Matt Willis. “A vaccine offered to a resident over 75 is 300 times more likely to save a life than a vaccine offered to someone under 50.”
Healthcare professionals and nursing home residents will also continue to be vaccinated in accordance with the state’s vaccine prioritization guidelines.
The region’s current pace of supply, however, may limit the counties’ ability to obtain doses of the vaccine for several weeks for elderly people who desire them.
The two-dose character of vaccines currently available on the market, developed by Pfizer and Modern, also makes it difficult to start vaccinating new people, according to municipalities, because portions of new shipments must be reserved for second doses.
“We need to be direct and honest with the public that, although we want to vaccinate everyone, at the moment we just don’t have enough vaccine for that,” said Dr. Sara Cody, health director and public health director for Santa Clara County. “Given the limited supply of vaccine, we should prioritize vaccination for those most at risk of death or serious illness.”
The supply of vaccines has been so limited that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised their vaccine guidance on January 21 to allow second doses of the vaccine to be administered up to six weeks after the first dose, if necessary.
It is recommended that the second doses of the Pfizer vaccine be administered three weeks after the first dose, while four weeks are recommended for the Modern vaccine.
“Modest delays in administering the second dose, if absolutely necessary, should not diminish the protection afforded by the second dose,” said the CDC in a statement.
Governor Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday that the state will receive about 1,060,000 doses of vaccine this week, but the federal government does not have the amount of vaccine needed for the size of a state in California.
“We are looking forward to vaccinating a much wider segment of the population and we are ready to do so as soon as the vaccine supply allows,” said Cody.
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