San Francisco on Tuesday extended admissions to the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 16 years and older, two days earlier than previously planned.
City officials said they had earlier decided to extend the admission after other provinces in the Bay Area opened the vaccine to 16 and older, including Alameda and Santa Clara.
Last week, San Francisco residents 16 years and older in eight of The City’s 27 zip codes, which were excessively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, allowed them to start vaccinating. These included the Mission and Bayview-Hunters Point.
“As we work to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible, this extensive consideration is important progress in our fight against COVID-19,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement.
However, despite the expansion, the supply constraints of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines across the country could make it difficult to make appointments for weeks that are just available in San Francisco.
The administration of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine was suspended for further study after six people experienced rare and severe cases of blood clotting days after vaccination. Health officials said J&J was only a small fraction of the total supply.
Government Gavin Newsom wrote on Twitter that out of a plethora of caution, California is following the advice of the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control to stop the use of J&J.
“J&J is currently only 4% of the supply of CAs,” wrote Newsom. “Vaccines are still overwhelmingly safe. We vaccinate more than 3 million people three times a week and are still on track to reopen 6/15. ”
City officials said more than 33,000 doses of the J&J vaccine were administered to residents without blood clotting being known.
San Francisco gives an average of 12,000 doses daily, city officials said. Nearly 60% of residents 16 years and older received at least one dose and more than 30 percent were fully vaccinated.
For more information and to schedule appointments, people should visit the SF.gov/getvaccinated website.
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