San Francisco could run out of coronavirus vaccines on Thursday



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San Francisco’s vaccine supply will run out by the end of this week if the city does not receive new shipments, the mayor of London Breed said on Tuesday.

The city could run out of vaccines by Thursday, Breed said. It would affect the people who would get the vaccine in the city; private suppliers have separate supply, and Breed added that the supply constraint for the city “should not have a significant impact” on plans to open a mass vaccination center at City College.

Dr Grant Colfax, the city’s senior public health official, said the city has received 8,000 doses of the Moderna batch which the state has recommended not to be administered while they are further investigated, following ‘a wave of allergic reactions from the lot of Petco Park in San Diego.

“We stopped on these out of caution,” he said. “We have not received any replacement doses.” Last week, the city received a total of 12,000 doses. This week only 1775. “This unreliable source makes planning difficult.”

San Francisco’s supply crisis is emblematic of what city and state health officials have been saying for weeks: There aren’t enough vaccines to meet public health demand.

San Francisco’s entire health system received 102,825 doses of the vaccine on Tuesday, Breed said. But these are supposed to count as both the first and second doses. There are approximately 210,000 people in San Francisco eligible for the vaccine under the first tier of the California vaccine distribution system.

“As we move forward, we just need more vaccines,” Breed said Tuesday.

Overall, 28,501 San Franciscans received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 6,347 received two doses.

“We will be ready to vaccinate 10,000 people a day,” Colfax said. “But for now, our challenge is the lack of vaccine. The vaccine supply (from the Department of Public Health) will be exhausted by Thursday.”

Asked when the San Francisco stay-at-home order could end, Colfax said: “We have encouraging signs that case rates are starting to decline and hospitalizations are starting to stabilize. … If this trend continues, I think we will move out of this stay at home state order. The trend is in a positive direction … Now is not the time to let our guard down . “

Regarding the new variant, Colfax said: “It is likely to be more contagious.” But “there is no reason to panic” and people should follow standard public safety protocols.

Michael Williams is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]

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