For now, the province only accommodates health workers and people aged 75 and over.
The demand for the COVID-19 vaccine far exceeds the amount available.
And in the Bay Area’s largest county, officials say they are still being paralyzed by the federal government.
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“For example, we heard a few days ago that the federal government would release stockpiles of vaccines that were being held for second doses. We heard this (Friday) morning that there is no stock,” said James Williams, Santa Clara County Counsel.
Williams says transparency is essential to building public confidence, but the process has been anything but simple.
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“Kaiser and PAMF are responsible for the majority of Santa Clara County residents, the majority of our residents are their patients, but we don’t have a full understanding of what they are doing,” said Williams.
Despite the battle, provincial officials continue to expand multiple vaccination sites, expanding infrastructure in the hope that the federal government will get its business under new administration.
Most residents will get the vaccine from their GP, but the province has already ramped up the capacity to vaccinate up to 6,000 people a day with plans to do more once the vaccine supply becomes more stable.
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“Because of this limited and unpredictable offering, we must continue to limit vaccination eligibility,” said Jennifer Tong, MD, SCVMC Associate Chief Medical Officer.
Hospital systems become overloaded as the number of cases and hospital admissions increases.
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But Stanford Health Care has been committed to providing mutual assistance, accepting more than 500 transfers in the past two months alone.
As people anxiously wait their turn for the vaccine, medical providers are again reminding the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We know how to protect yourself. We know that if you distance yourself socially and wear a mask, you can protect yourself from this virus,” says Prof. Andra Blomkalns, MD, Stanford School of Medicine.
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