A small amount of vaccines causes Santa Clara County to cancel several meetings

SANTA CLARA COUNTY – Health officials in Santa Clara County say the supply of coronavirus vaccine “continues to be insufficient” that they receive from the state may not improve significantly for “a few weeks”, forcing them to to cancel thousands of other first-dose appointments across the region.

“All we need to dramatically expand access to vaccinations is more vaccine and we are ready and waiting for it,” county executive Jeff Smith said Thursday.

County officials have continued to sneak in at the state’s vaccine launch, after pushing hard against plans to have insurance giant Blue Shield run the state’s vaccination program.

Millions of Californians became eligible for vaccines Monday, and insufficient vaccine means many of them may not be able to schedule a meeting for weeks.

The county said on Thursday that it had again notified “several thousand” Kaiser patients of the first-dose vaccination programs scheduled at county vaccination sites between March 22 and 28, which will be canceled.

These patients will be transferred back to Kaiser, which the state has assured will have enough doses for its members, according to the county statement. The county also had to cancel thousands of meetings with Kaiser patients earlier this month.

“The lack of sufficient state supply has been frustrating for everyone, especially for those who are eligible for the vaccine and want to be vaccinated but have not been able to register,” said Marty Fenstersheib, the county’s head of testing and vaccines. , in a statement.

The county expects the vaccine supply to increase significantly across the state in a few weeks, supported by additional single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine deliveries. The state promised earlier this month that a safe flow of vaccines will arrive in early April, but details of the likely distribution for these doses are slim.

“We want to see the significant capacity we have built in full use and look forward to opening up the capacity for a wider first dose as soon as the vaccine is available,” Smith said.

Despite the current shortage, the county said it is focusing on the limited use of its first-dose supply for vaccinating “disproportionately affected communities” in the region, such as food service workers and farm workers in South County.

The county said it vaccinated food and agricultural 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 on other farms.

“These vaccination events in South County at food production units and farms are essential to reach our highest-risk front-line workers,” said Rocio Luna, the county’s deputy executive.

A special four-month survey conducted by this news organization found that Latinos in six Bay Bay counties have case rates more than four times higher than those of white residents and large disparities in testing and vaccination persist.

“The county will continue to do everything we can to ensure equitable access to vaccination and to prioritize the highest risk communities,” Luna said.