SANTA CLARA COUNTY – Health officials in Santa Clara County say the “persistently inadequate” coronavirus vaccine supply they receive from the state will not improve significantly for “a few weeks”, forcing them to cancel thousands more of first-dose appointments in the region .
“All we need to drastically expand access to vaccinations is more vaccine, and we’re ready,” County Executive Jeff Smith said in a statement Thursday.
County officials have continued to grapple with the introduction of the state’s vaccine after loudly pushing back against plans to let insurance giant Blue Shield lead the state’s vaccination program.
Millions more Californians were eligible for injections on Monday, and the insufficient vaccine supply means many of them may not be able to book an appointment for weeks.
The county said again on Thursday that it has again notified “several thousand” Kaiser patients that their first vaccination appointments scheduled at the county’s vaccination sites between March 22 and March 28 will be canceled.
Those patients will be transferred to Kaiser, which the state has assured will have adequate doses for its members, according to the county statement. The county also had to cancel thousands of Kaiser patient appointments earlier this month.
“The state’s lack of adequate supplies is frustrating for everyone, especially those who are eligible for the vaccine and want to be vaccinated but have not been able to sign up,” said Marty Fenstersheib, the county director of testing and vaccination. , in a statement.
The province expects the supply of vaccines to “increase significantly within weeks,” supported by additional deliveries of the one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The state promised earlier this month that a reliable stream of vaccines will arrive in early April, but details on the likely distribution of those doses are sparse.
“We want to see the significant capacity that we have built fully deployed, and we look forward to making the first-dose appointment capacity more widely available as soon as vaccination permits,” said Smith.
Despite the current shortage, the county said it is focusing on using its limited supply of first-dose injections to vaccinate the region’s “most disproportionately affected communities”, such as food workers and farm workers in South County.
The county said it vaccinated food and farm workers at Lusamerica Foods and Kawahara Nursery in Morgan Hill this week. On Friday, it will operate a clinic in partnership with Olam Spices and the United Farm Workers Foundation in Gilroy, which will be open to workers from other farms.
“These South County vaccination events at food production facilities and farms are critical to reaching our frontline workers most at risk,” said Deputy County Executive Rocio Luna.
A special four-month study by this news organization found that Latinos in six Bay Area counties are more than four times that of white residents, and that there are wide differences in testing and vaccination.
“The province will continue to make every effort to ensure fair access to vaccination and to prioritize communities most at risk,” said Luna.
Limited first-dose vaccinations are also being offered through community-based sites in East San Jose and at the Eastridge Mall in partnership with Stanford Health Care, the county said. Preparations are also underway for drive-through vaccinations at Gilroy High School, where a walk-in field is already underway.
Information about when and where to get a vaccine in the county is available at sccFreeVax.org.