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With coronavirus vaccines opening up to Californians 50 and over on April 1, and with all residents 16 and over becoming eligible on April 15, you may be one of the many who are now scrambling to find an appointment.
You may have made an appointment away from home, or one appointment at a time that you cannot make. And then you might have booked another date after finding the one that suits you the best.
But scheduling more than one appointment for your first dose of Pfizer or Moderna two-dose vaccines, or your single-injection Johnson & Johnson vaccine, may slow down the goal of getting as many people as possible to prevent serious illness. and reduce hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, health experts say.
“When someone doesn’t cancel an appointment, it means that an appointment has been made by someone else,” said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County public health official. .
“You literally take a dose from someone else,” added Willis.
The no-show rate in Marin County is between 5-10%. On a good day, Willis said, it’s 5% or less.
It’s likely that many people who are currently looking for available slots will book multiple slots at once, which has become “a real challenge for us because we need predictability,” said Willis.
Once thawed in the cold room, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have a relatively short shelf life. No-shows by appointment force providers to scramble to avoid wasting doses.
In Marin County, extra doses are either used for volunteers at vaccination sites or sent to long-term care facilities and the county jail.
According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, vaccination sites run by various health providers have different protocols, but all “aggressively plan” to make sure doses are not wasted.
“Many immunization entities have a call list, of those who are eligible, who may be called upon to be vaccinated at the end of a day,” the department said. “Almost 100% of the vaccines received each week are allocated for use in the coming week.”
Canceling an unnecessary appointment is easy and can make a big difference. “Take that extra step for someone else’s sake,” Willis said.
The second doses are usually scheduled either when you make your first appointment or when you receive the first dose. If for some reason you can’t make this appointment, officials urge you to reschedule as soon as possible.
Here’s how to cancel an unnecessary appointment through different providers:
• For most providers, including counties and major health systems: Contact the vaccinator to cancel the appointment. Make sure to check your confirmation email, which usually includes a link to cancel your appointment.
• My turn: Follow the instructions in the email or text message you received confirming your appointment through the state registration system.
• CVS or Rite Aid: Click the “Cancel your appointment” link in your vaccine appointment confirmation email.
• Safeway: Click on the link you received in a confirmation text. If you have received a confirmation e-mail, click on the “Schedule control” button.
• Walgreens: Click on the “Change or Cancel Appointment” link in your confirmation email. You can also cancel through this site.
Jessica Flores is a writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jesssmflores
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