SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Sharp HealthCare is being questioned after more than 300 San Diego police officers and firefighters were given the COVID-19 vaccine before their scheduled turn.
Sharp HealthCare defends its actions and reports that it made the right decision under circumstances where the vaccine doses would expire.
San Diego County officials confirmed with ABC10 News that the County had been notified Tuesday morning that Sharp HealthCare had 300 vaccines that would expire, so hospital staff ordered the officers to come in and get vaccinated. The County reported that Sharp HealthCare had not notified the County in advance, or the County would have instructed Sharp HealthCare to vaccinate Phase 1A recipients, such as health workers and nursing home residents.
Police officers and firefighters are considered key workers included in Phase 1B of the vaccine distribution plan. That phase has not yet started.
A Sharp HealthCare spokesperson confirmed Tuesday afternoon that it had not contacted the County at approximately 7:30 p.m. Monday for guidance on what to do with the vaccine surplus because it was after hours. Instead, the spokesperson said Sharp HealthCare reported moving forward rapidly with a plan to vaccinate first responders, the majority of whom are SDPD officers, but also some firefighters. The spokesman said they could not have foreseen that there would be such a surplus of the vaccine.
The spokesman characterized it as a win-win, as Sharp HealthCare was able to use the vaccines before they expire, and hundreds of agents were vaccinated. The spokesman added that the state will allow hospitals to deliver the vaccine to lower priority groups when doses are about to expire.
County officials reported Tuesday afternoon that the county has now asked the state to run hospitals in similar positions to notify and coordinate the county first before moving to another priority level.
ABC10 News reached out to SDPD for comment. A representative from the City of San Diego sent the following statement.
“As the city’s health partner, Sharp Healthcare got in touch yesterday around 7:30 pm to offer 300 free vaccinations to the city that were due to expire today at 9:00 am. Knowing that time was of the essence to use these valuable resources, the vaccinations were administered to first responders from the city’s fire and police forces who work closely with the public every day. About 120 vaccines were administered to EMT / paramedics from the fire department and 186 administered to police officers. The City of San Diego recognizes the importance of keeping our workforce healthy to public safety and will continue to work with all of our partners. “