How To Get A Coronavirus Vaccine In The Bay Area

The coronavirus vaccine is still … incredibly complicated.

California allows residents over the age of 65 to be vaccinated, along with health care workers and residents of nursing homes and relief facilities. The state also vaccinates teachers, childminders, emergency workers and food and agricultural workers who may be exposed to work.

However, the number of people technically eligible for the vaccine has expanded much faster than the number of available doses. Cue chaos, bitter resentment and system crashes. While so much is happening – and changing rapidly – here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

Has California achieved Gavin Newsom’s goal of distributing 1 million vaccines?

This is not actually clear due to data issues, but the state was probably close. This week, state health official Erica Pan said it could take up to five months to vaccinate all California residents 65 and older. This is based on the fact that there are more than 6 million Californians of that age, and that the state receives only 400,000-500,000 doses per week.

One of the major problems is that the federal government, which grants vaccines to the state, has not insured nearly as many doses as expected. And the companies that manufacture the approved vaccines – Moderna and Pfizer – can deliver just as many doses. Without a centralized health system, the fact that a shot is given in the arms is left to a patchwork of agencies, government offices and major health systems such as Kaiser and Sutter.

Does President Biden have a plan to speed things up?

Yes. Biden said he wants to deliver 100 million doses in the first 100 days of his administration. Thus, the state can get more vaccines, which can accelerate the said timeline of Pan. And Pfizer and Moderna probably won’t be the only vaccine provider. Several other vaccines are good at clinical trials, and if successful, the companies can also get permission to manufacture and distribute coronavirus vaccines.

How do I book the time to get the chance?

In California, some counties are setting up mass vaccination sites, while other people are calling on people to talk to their healthcare provider. The process is not always fair. Sometimes it was like trying to grab tickets for a hot concert – with those who happen to sign up at the right time or in the right place or have the right connections to access while people with less resources and less luck wait. Here’s what the Bay’s major suppliers and provinces have been saying since Thursday. (Note: this information is constantly changing, and phone lines and online entry pages are overwhelmed to the point of crashing.)

Kaiser Permanente

After saying earlier that he would plan appointments for 65-year-olds and older and provide a phone number, the HMO scaled back. According to the vaccination page on his website, Kaiser says he will send a letter or email to patients aged 75 and older to make an appointment. It no longer provides a phone number for people to proactively make an appointment. Kaiser allows healthcare workers, long-term care patients and staff and emergency medical staff to set up an e-visit to discuss a vaccine.

Sutter Health (Palo Alto Medical Foundation)

According to Sutter’s vaccination website, appointments are being planned for health workers and 75-year-olds, prioritizing patients at the highest risk. Sutter patients can call 844-987-6115 to schedule an appointment or sign up for My Health Online portal to book an appointment online.

Stanford Healthcare

According to Stanford’s coronavirus website, primary care patients are vaccinated, but their suitability varies by country. Residents of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties who are at least 75 years old can be vaccinated at 2585 Samaritan Drive, San Jose. From Friday 22 January, it will also offer vaccinations at the Arrillaga Center at 341 Galvez Street on the Stanford Campus. As of Thursday, Stanford patients 65 and older in Alameda and Contra Costa counties can schedule an appointment to be vaccinated at 6121 Hollis Street in Emeryville. Eligible patients can make an appointment through the MyHealth portal or by calling 650-498-9000.

El Camino Health

El Camino allows Santa Clara County residents 75 years and older – who are not Kaiser, Sutter, Stanford or Santa Clara Valley medical patients – to book a vaccination online.

John Muir Health

John Muir says he plans to start vaccinating patients aged 75 and older next week. JMH says it will initially be able to offer about 3,000 appointments a week, but that should double by mid-February. According to the system, it will reach patients to make an appointment using patient portal messages, emails, text messages and phone calls.

Alameda County

Alameda says it is currently limiting vaccinations to health workers, but said it will expand to others in the coming weeks. The province’s website allows residents to sign up to receive a notification when they can plan a vaccination.

Contra Costa County

Contra Costa plans to plan vaccinations for residents 65 and older. Qualifying residents can fill out an online form to request an appointment. Residents without internet access or who are having difficulty using the form can call 833-829-2626.

San Francisco County

San Francisco has introduced an online notification system for residents to sign up. Residents and workers can receive a text message or email to let them know it’s their turn. The city says it is working with health care providers to set up large vaccination sites and sites in neighborhoods most affected by the virus.

San mateo county

San Mateo is vaccinating health workers and residents and staff in long-term care homes. The province’s website says it’s moving on to the next phase, which includes residents aged 65 and over, but people need to contact their local healthcare provider to get a vaccine. According to the province’s San Mateo Medical Center, it will reach patients who meet the criteria to receive a vaccine.