For the time being, the province can only accommodate health workers and 75 people.
Demand for the COVID-19 vaccine exceeds the available quantity.
And in the Bay Area’s largest province, officials say they are still hampered by the federal government.
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“For example, we learned a few days ago that the federal government would release the vaccines that are being held for second doses. We learned that there is no stock (Friday) morning,” said James Williams, Santa Clara County. Counsel, said.
Williams says transparency is essential to building trust in the public, but the process has been anything but easy.
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“Kaiser and PAMF are responsible for the majority of Santa Clara County residents, the majority of our residents are their patients, but we do not have the full insight into what they do,” Williams said.
Despite the struggle, provincial officials are continuing to expand multiple vaccination sites and expand the infrastructure in the hope that the federal government will get its act under a new government.
Most residents will receive the vaccine from their primary care provider, but the country has already increased its capacity to vaccinate up to 6,000 people a day with plans to do more once the vaccine supply becomes more stable.
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“Because of this limited and unpredictable offer, we still need to be eligible for vaccination,” said Jennifer Tong, MD, chief medical officer of SCVMC.
Hospital systems are overloaded as cases and hospitalizations increase.
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But Stanford Health Care has stepped in to help provide mutual assistance by accepting more than 500 transfers in just the past two months.
As people anxiously await the vaccine, medical providers are once again reminding the public of ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We know how to protect yourself. We know that if you take social distance and wear a mask, you will be able to protect yourself against this virus,” said prof. Andra Blomkalns, managing director, Stanford School of Medicine said.
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