Over the past two weeks, there has been a daily torrent of news – and frustration – about COVID-19 vaccinations, topped this week by the establishment of massive vaccination centers in the South Bay, East Bay and San Francisco. Providers have also expanded access to those most at risk of serious illness or death.
The initiatives should be good news for those confused by the twisted explanations, bad websites, and hours of waiting that have characterized the vaccine rollout to date. But the biggest problem remains: the limited supply of approved vaccines, even as the Biden administration ramps up production and a new one-time vaccine appears to be ready for distribution.
Here is an overview of the latest developments and what they mean for you.
So who can get the vaccine now?
The state has allowed the vaccination of primary care health workers, nursing home patients and, more recently, people 65 and older. But not every county and health care provider has been able to accommodate those groups, and the state admits that these residents are given priority “when supplies allow.”
Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties formally have green-lit vaccinations for residents over age 65. Alameda County says coverage for seniors begins Monday, although some hospital systems have already started.
But others choose to limit distribution due to insufficient supply. Kaiser, for example, limits vaccinations for non-health professionals to patients 75 years of age and older, citing limited doses. John Muir Health says it plans to expand to patients ages 65 to 74 on Feb. 15.
Bay Area counties continue to urge recipients of eligible vaccines to visit their own healthcare providers first, to ensure efficient use of each entity’s vaccine allocations and doses provided to regional health systems , to be reserved for the uninsured and disadvantaged communities.
But coverage has shifted over the past week. Santa Clara County has just introduced a “no wrong door” policy that encourages anyone currently eligible for a vaccine to get one from any supplier, regardless of hospital membership or insurance. That comes after a revelation that about 20% of the vaccines allocated by the county were unplanned. Other counties now offer similar guidance.
Meanwhile, advocacy groups continue to advocate special vaccination priority for their members, including farm workers, teachers and those with health problems. Last week, a group of Bay Area health officials called on rescuers to resist those pleas. Just focus on the elderly, they said.
How are these massive vaccination sites going to work?
This week, a state-federal partnership was announced that will task the Federal Emergency Management Agency to operate a mass vaccination site on the grounds of the Oakland Coliseum starting Feb. 16; reservations are promised through the state’s new MyTurn.ca.gov website. The Moscone Center has just opened as a massive vaccination site run by San Francisco and Kaiser. Santa Clara County has announced it is partnering with the San Francisco 49ers to set up such a venue at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, which opens Tuesday; check out sccfreevax.org for appointments.
The purpose of these sites is to expand the reach of the vaccine to specific populations and to provide some relief to those who are uninsured or cannot access through scheduling systems of their own suppliers. Some of these organizations also place pop-up sites in hard-hit neighborhoods for the same purpose.
What happens with the delivery? Shouldn’t a new vaccine be released soon?
A significant dose increase is needed to vaccinate enough of the US population to achieve herd immunity and end the pandemic. Even with the state tripling its daily vaccinations to 150,000 in the past month, only 9% of California’s 40 million residents have received vaccines.
The Biden government has ordered an additional 200 million doses from Pfizer and Moderna and plans to send 1 million doses to pharmacies across the country. CVS will start administering vaccines in 100 of its stores in California starting Thursday.
The supply situation will improve with the distribution of a new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after it has been reviewed for emergency licensing by the Food and Drug Administration at the end of the month.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, is optimistic about the impact of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as it requires only one dose – the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines consist of two injections administered between three and four. weeks apart – and it doesn’t require frozen storage.
The company says it could deliver 100 million doses of vaccine to the federal government in the first half of 2021.
“This is a game changer,” said Gandhi. “The roll-out of vaccines will be much faster.”
As the supply increases, more categories of people will be allowed to be vaccinated. If vaccine production continues to increase as planned, people 16 and older in the lowest risk categories could receive vaccines against this summer.
Let’s go back to those second doses. I’ve heard about side effects. How bad are they?
Reports from the past few days have shown that second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines cause more side effects than the first dose – mainly flu-like symptoms such as swelling, aches, body aches, headaches and fever. But medical experts say this is a sign that the vaccine is triggering the desired immune response.
Gandhi said that in most cases, the second dose swoon is manageable with painkillers and rest.
I have been fully vaccinated. What can I do?
The mainstream medical consensus urges vaccinated people to behave as they would if they had not been vaccinated because they can still be carriers – research has not yet shown that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can transmit the disease appearance.
But Gandhi sees little risk in two vaccinated people meeting and interacting. And she believes that a vaccinated person who has tested negative also has little to fear in dealing with unvaccinated friends and family. Just take the right precautions: remove your mask and try to keep your distance.
“This is a matter of messages telling people that nothing will change even if you have not been vaccinated. I know public health officials mean well, but that’s not how the real world works, ”said Gandhi. “I don’t think that’s sustainable, people have been waiting so long for the vaccines and the loneliness is great.”