The slow outcome of administering the vaccines in December made the San Francisco officials and local leaders to take action to increase the number of mass vaccination sites that aim to administer the treatment.
Additional Vaccination Sites
In California, officials have open several vaccination sites to curb the spread of the coronavirus and are planning on constructing more to accommodate more patients. Additionally, inoculation would be given on a priority basis, giving the first opportunity to health care workers and long-term care facility residents.
Data showed that California has yet to administer about two million of its available coronavirus vaccine doses. It was also revealed that as of Tuesday, the state has only inoculated about 2% of its residents.
The California Health Department said that they administered 185,000 vaccines in the Bay Area.
The Bay Area
Officials opened drive-thru mass COVID-19 vaccination sites at the San Mateo County Event Center this week and began inoculating eligible health care workers. In Alameda County, officials are scheduled to vote to decide whether or not to use the RingCentral Coliseum as a vaccination site. And in Santa Clara County, local leaders are considering using Levi’s Stadium and Avaya Stadium to vaccinate its residents.
California
Orange County officials announced that they would open the region’s Disneyland to become a mass vaccination site. Los Angeles County’s Dodger Stadium parking lot is also set to accept patients as early as this weekend.
Petco Park in San Diego has been opened to cater vaccinations of health care workers. And Sacramento County’s CalExpo fairgrounds has begun inoculating residents, but only allowing frontline workers as of the moment.
Prioritization
United States officials urged state leaders to begin vaccinations for residents who were 65 years old and above as early as they could. They asked local officials to use reserved COVID-19 vaccine doses meant to be used as second doses for previously inoculated individuals.
The county health department planned to begin administering COVID-19 vaccines this week, prioritizing elderly aged 65 and above, San Francisco’s Dr. Grant Colfax said, KRON4 reported.
Tier System
California officials announced a new tier system to clarify how the coronavirus vaccine would be administered to priority groups and the general public.
In the first tier, officials prioritized front line medical workers and
Tier 1
- Acute care, psychiatric and correctional facility hospitals
- Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and similar settings for older or medically vulnerable individuals
- Also, in concordance with ACIP, residents in these settings
- Paramedics, EMTs, and others providing emergency medical services
- Dialysis centers
Tier 2
- Intermediate care facilities for persons who need non-continuous nursing supervision and supportive care
- Home health care and in-home supportive services
- Community health workers, including promotoras
- Public health field staff
- Primary Care clinics, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Centers, correctional facility clinics, and urgent care clinics
Tier 3
Other settings and health care workers, including:
- Specialty clinics
- Laboratory workers
- Dental and other oral health clinics
- Pharmacy staff not working in settings at higher tiers.