The latest news from the Bay Area on who can get the vaccine and where

Over the past two weeks, there has been a daily deluge of news – and frustration – about COVID-19 vaccinations, headlined 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 baffled by the twisted explanations, questionable websites and hours of waiting hours that have characterized the vaccine rollout to date. But the bigger problem remains: the limited supply of approved vaccines, even as the Biden administration ramps up production and a new single-dose vaccine appears to be on the verge of release.

Here is an overview of the latest developments and what they mean to you.

So who can get vaccinated now?

The state has authorized immunizations for frontline healthcare workers, nursing home patients and, more recently, people aged 65 and over. But not all counties and healthcare providers have been able to accommodate these groups, and the state admits these residents will be given priority “as supplies permit.”

Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties have officially received green vaccinations for residents over 65. Alameda County says coverage for the elderly will begin on 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-healthcare professionals to patients 75 years of age and older, citing limited doses. John Muir Health announced plans to expand to patients aged 65 to 74 on February 15.

Bay Area counties continue to urge eligible vaccine recipients to go to their own healthcare providers first, to ensure effective use of each entity’s vaccine allocations and reserve the doses provided. to county health systems for the uninsured and underserved communities.

But the message has changed over the past week. Santa Clara County just instituted a ‘no bad door’ policy encouraging anyone currently eligible for a vaccine to obtain one from any supplier, regardless of hospital membership or insurance. This follows the revelation that about 20% of vaccines allocated to the county were unscheduled. Other counties are now offering similar advice.

Meanwhile, interest groups continue to advocate for a special vaccine priority for their members, including farm workers, teachers and people with health problems. Last week, a group of Bay Area health workers called on providers to resist the calls. Just focus on the elderly, they said.

How are these mass 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 from February 16; reservations are promised on the state’s new website MyTurn.ca.gov. The Moscone Center just opened as a mass vaccination site run by San Francisco and Kaiser. Santa Clara County has announced its partnership with the San Francisco 49ers to set up such a site at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, opening Tuesday; check sccfreevax.org for appointments.

The purpose of these sites is to extend the reach of the vaccine to target populations and to provide some relief to people who are uninsured or who cannot go through the scheduling systems of their own providers. Some of these organizations are also setting up pop-up sites in heavily affected neighborhoods for the same purpose.

What happens with the offer? Isn’t a new vaccine supposed to come out soon?

A significant increase in doses is needed to immunize enough of the American population to achieve herd immunity and end the pandemic. Even though the state tripled its daily immunizations to 150,000 over the past month, only 9% of California’s 40 million people have received vaccines.

The Biden administration has ordered 200 million additional doses from Pfizer and Moderna, and plans to send 1 million doses to pharmacies across the country. CVS will begin administering vaccines at 100 of its California stores starting Thursday.

The supply situation is expected to improve with the distribution of a new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after being reviewed for emergency clearance by the Food and Drug Administration at the end of the month.

Dr Monica Gandhi, professor and infectious disease expert at UC San Francisco, is optimistic about the impact of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because it only requires 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 can deliver 100 million doses of the vaccine to the federal government in the first half of 2021.

“It is a game-changer,” Gandhi said. “The deployment of vaccines will be much faster.”

As supplies increase, more categories of people can be vaccinated. If vaccine production continues to increase as expected, people 16 years and older in the most at-risk categories could start getting vaccinated by this summer.

Let’s come back to those second doses. I have heard of the side effects. How bad are they?

Reports from the past few days have noted that the second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines produce more side effects than the first dose – mainly flu-like symptoms such as swelling, pain, aches, headache and fever. But medical experts say it’s a sign the vaccine is triggering the desired immune response.

Gandhi said that in most cases, fainting from the second dose is manageable with pain relievers and rest.