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Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s chief health official are loving the sound of President Joe Biden’s plan to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines by May 1.
But they stop before agreeing that California will open the doors to immunization for everyone just seven weeks from Saturday.
Instead, responses to Biden’s Thursday night speech from Newsom and Dr.Mark Ghaly, secretary of the state’s Health and Human Services Agency, handed responsibility to the federal government to follow through on that. commitment.
“We share the president’s commitment to ensure that all adults who want a vaccine can get one,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday. “We look forward to learning more about the President’s plan and working together to make this important goal a reality.”
Asked at a briefing Friday about Biden’s vision to mark ‘independence’ from COVID-19 by celebrating July 4 with rallies in the yard, Ghaly said: ‘We’re not turning around a date yet. – but we’re ready for something around that time if all these different pieces come together as we all hope.
A key component, Ghaly said, will be providing California with many more COVID vaccines.
The state now administers 200,000 to 240,000 shots per day, Ghaly said, but may need to distribute perhaps twice as much – 350,000 to 400,000 per day – to get closer to Biden’s target.
“Our job in the state is to be ready for whatever the federal government (and) the manufacturers can send us, and that’s what we’re working hard to be ready for,” Ghaly said.
Tight supplies mean those who are eligible to receive vaccines now – including people 65 and older, food and agriculture workers, educators and healthcare workers – sometimes struggle to book appointments, while some providers in the Bay Area have had to cancel appointments or stop scheduling new ones.
And although vaccine stocks are not expected to increase dramatically in the coming weeks, California will expand its eligibility pool to more than 4 million people on Monday, allowing residents with certain serious medical conditions, as well as to public transport and airport workers, among others. , to get shots.
State officials said they believe many more doses will start arriving in April, as manufacture of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine ramps up, in addition to injections from Pfizer and Moderna.
California’s logistical ability to deliver injections will also be critical, said William Padula, USC professor of pharmaceutical and health economics. Biden’s goal would be achievable if the state and Blue Shield – the nonprofit healthcare organization with which California executives reached a controversial deal to handle vaccine logistics – create a system that can fulfill their needs. promise to deliver several million vaccines every week, said Padula.
“It’s possible,” he said. “But I don’t know if it’s likely.”
If all of this happens, removing eligibility restrictions on May 1 still wouldn’t mean everyone could get the shot right away. If done incorrectly, Padula warned that it could create a ‘block’ of people seeking dates, which would make it even more difficult for those less savvy to get the shot even if they run a larger one. risk.
A better model, said Padula, would be more of a waiting list system – something the California vaccination program does not currently have. In this system, rather than furiously refreshing the MyTurn.ca.gov website every day as they search for open appointments, people could secure their place by entering their name on May 1, and possibly get an appointment. you when it’s available.
“They’re in the queue,” said Padula, “and they know their name will be mentioned.”
Editor Marisa Kendall contributed reporting.
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