For the past two weeks, there has been a daily flood of news – and frustration – about COVID-19 vaccinations, mentioned this week by the establishment of mass vaccination sites in 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, obscure sites and waiting periods of several hours that have characterized the launch of the vaccine so far. But the biggest problem remains: the limited supply of approved vaccines, even if the Biden administration increases production and a new single vaccine seems almost ready for distribution.
Here’s a look at the latest developments and what they mean to you.
So who can get the vaccine right now?
The state has authorized the vaccination of front-line health workers, patients in nursing homes and, more recently, people aged 65 and over. But not every county and health care provider has been able to host these groups, and the state acknowledges that these residents will have priority “as far as supplies allow.”
Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties are officially vaccinated with green light for residents over 65 years of age. Alameda County says coverage for seniors will begin Monday, although some hospital systems have already begun.
But others choose to limit distribution due to inadequate supply. Kaiser, for example, restricts vaccinations to non-health workers to patients aged 75 and over, citing limited doses. John Muir Health says it plans to expand to patients between the ages of 65 and 74 on Feb. 15.
Bay Area counties continue to require eligible vaccine recipients to go first to their own healthcare providers to ensure the efficient use of each entity’s vaccine allocations and to reserve doses for county health systems for the uninsured and underinsured served.
But messages have changed in the last week. Santa Clara County has just instituted a “no-wrong” policy that encourages anyone currently eligible for a vaccine to receive one from any provider, regardless of hospital membership or insurance. This comes after a revelation that about 20% of the vaccines allocated to the county went unscheduled. Other counties now offer similar guidance.
In the meantime, interest groups continue to support the special priority of the vaccine for their members, including agricultural workers, teachers and those in good health. Last week, a group of Bay Area health officers called on providers to resist the allegations. It only focuses on the elderly, they said.
How will these mass vaccination sites work?
This week, a state-federal partnership was announced that will task the Federal Emergency Management Agency with operating a mass vaccination site on Oakland College grounds beginning Feb. 16; reservations are promised through the new state website MyTurn.ca.gov. The Moscone Center has just opened as a mass vaccination site run by San Francisco and Kaiser. Santa Clara County announced it is partnering with the San Francisco 49ers to build such a site at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, opening Tuesday; check out sccfreevax.org for meetings.
The purpose of these sites is to extend vaccine coverage to the target populations and to provide some relief to people who are uninsured or unable to go through their own providers’ programming systems. Some of these organizations also put pop-up sites in severely affected neighborhoods for the same purpose.
What happens to the supply? Isn’t a new vaccine supposed to be out soon?
A significant increase in doses is needed to sufficiently vaccinate the US population to obtain herd immunity and end the pandemic. Even though the state has tripled its daily vaccinations to 150,000 in the last month, only 9% of California’s 40 million people have received vaccines.
The Biden administration 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 begin administering vaccines to 100 stores in California starting Thursday.
The supply situation will improve with the distribution of a new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after it will be reviewed for emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration at the end of the month.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor and expert in infectious diseases at UC San Francisco, is optimistic about the impact of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it requires a single dose – Pfizer and Moderna vaccines consist of two vaccines given between three and four. weeks away – and does not require frozen storage.
The company says it can supply 100 million doses of vaccine to the federal government in the first half of 2021.
“This is a game changer,” Gandhi said. “The vaccine will be launched much faster.”
As supplies increase, more people will be able to be vaccinated. If vaccine production continues to grow as planned, people aged 16 and over in the lowest risk categories could start receiving vaccines by this summer.
Let’s go back to those two doses. I’ve heard of side effects. How bad are they?
Reports in recent days have indicated that secondary doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines produce more side effects than the first dose – primarily flu-like symptoms such as swelling, pain, body aches, headache and fever. But medical experts say this is a sign that the vaccine triggers the desired immune response.
Gandhi said that in most cases, the second dose of decrease is easy to administer with painkillers and rest.
I’m completely vaccinated. What am I allowed to do?
The general medical consensus requires vaccinated people to behave as they would if they were not vaccinated, as they may still be carriers – research has not yet established that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines prevent the transmission of the disease.
But Gandhi sees little risk in meeting and contacting two vaccinated people. And he believes that a vaccinated person who has given negative results also has little to fear in interacting with unvaccinated friends and family. Just take the right precautions: hide and try to keep your distance.
“This is a messaging issue that tells people that even if you are not vaccinated, nothing changes. I know that public health officials have good intentions, but that’s not how the real world works, “Gandhi said. “I don’t think it’s sustainable, people are waiting so long for vaccines, and loneliness is deep.”