The change happened almost overnight.
The ballroom at Meritage Resort and Spa, the largest mass vaccination clinic in Napa County, has gone from seeing a flood of residents requesting coronavirus vaccinations to just a sliver in the days following the extension of the vaccine qualification by California for everyone over the age of 16.
On Friday, the first day the clinic was opened to the public after statewide expansion, virtually all 1,400 meetings were closed. But by Tuesday, only two-thirds of the appointments available that day – about 2,300 out of 3,400 – were booked. The program for the rest of the week suggests a sharp drop in interest.
Less than 1,500 people booked meetings for Wednesday through late Tuesday afternoon from nearly 3,700 available slots. For Thursday and Friday, only 82 people and 46 people registered, respectively, although more than 3,200 slots are available every day.
Interest is waning so fast that the site, which previously urged everyone to make appointments, is now open for walk-ins every day, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. : 00. Unused doses are in the freezer.
“We certainly have the capacity, the will and the volunteers and the commitment of all those who do this work in Napa County,” said county spokeswoman Janet Upton. “But now what we are missing is, apparently, the public interest.”
While the apparent plateau of absorption in one place is just a look at the regional launch of vaccinations, it contrasts sharply with the last few months, when the lack of vaccine supply seemed to be the biggest problem slowing vaccinations.
Young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 appear to be particularly uninterested or at least unwilling to be vaccinated, Upton said, citing health officer Dr. Karen Relucio at local vaccination clinics.
As a result, county health officials and their partners for the mass vaccination site – Kaiser Permanente, Regina Valley Medical Center and Ole Health – are now exchanging information messages to try to bring more people on board.
“We’re directing our messages from ‘Scarce, wait your turn,’ to disclosing the vaccine’s hesitation,” Upton said. “We are working to determine those who may be hesitant, who may need to hear a call to action from someone other than a government entity.”
About 57% of county residents 16 years of age or older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 40% are fully vaccinated, according to county data. Public health experts estimate that in order to achieve the immunity of the herd, the percentage of people vaccinated must reach 70% or more.
Health officials work with religious leaders, community groups, teachers, coaches and others to reach unvaccinated residents.
“We are making good progress, but now the call to action for our communities is, ‘We need your help to get to the finish line,'” Upton said. “Indeed, it will be the time when faith-based organizations, food banks, other mechanisms, trusted friends and family members will have to be the ones to carry the message forward until we get 75% or 80% of the community’s immunity for which we try “.
Catherine Ho is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @Cat_Ho