More counties in California are opening vaccines to younger adults, a week before the state increases admission to everyone 16 years and older.
At the same time, public health officials in California on Thursday warned of declines in supply due to a national reduction in the one-shot vaccine Johnson & Johnson in the coming weeks.
The state received about 2.4 million doses this week, but it expects 2 million next week and 1.9 million doses next week. It is in addition to the vaccine that is sent directly to the pharmacies and health centers of the federal government.
Santa Clara County in the San Francisco Bay Area and Fresno County in the Central Valley are the latest to open vaccinations for anyone eligible to get one, though younger residents in Santa Clara need to book an appointment for 15 April or later. People 16 years and older can get the Pfizer vaccine, while the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are for people 18 and older.
‘The supply of COVID-19 vaccine has become more stable. We are able to move ahead of the (state) timeline and have been approved to lift the current restrictions to expand the suitability, ”said Joe Prado.
On Friday, Facebook announced that it would turn part of Menlo Park’s headquarters in the Bay into a vaccination site and hopes to vaccinate as many as 10,000 people in the coming weeks.
In a post, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer, said the company had partnered with a health network to distribute shots to underserved communities and worked with state and local organizations to support mobile vaccination clinics.
“As more COVID-19 vaccines expand nationwide, we are finally seeing sparks of hope, which can grow as long as we continue to make progress,” Sandberg wrote.
Vaccine stocks could shrink when eligibility increases next week.
But this week, availability remains mixed, with some venues reporting an excess of open appointments. Humboldt County in northern California, for example, asked residents to make an appointment and said there were “hundreds of doses” available over the weekend.
A mass vaccination center at California State University, Los Angeles, has also announced that adults will be taken on an initial basis due to excess appointments. But by late Thursday morning, the website had turned people away because of the question.
Brian Ferguson, spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services, said in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that pre-registration through the state’s My Turn system is the only way to guarantee a vaccination there.
“To the extent that the appointments are incomplete, there may be a limited number of appointments available for individuals 18+ between tomorrow and on until Sunday when the management of the premises is transferred to the city,” he said.
Government Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that the state of nearly 40 million will lift most pandemic restrictions, provided hospitalization remains low and there is enough vaccination for everyone. It is unclear whether the decline in supply will affect California’s reopening date, although the governor’s office said on social media that “CA is on track to open safely 6/15.”
California has already vaccinated 72% of the elderly 65 and older with at least one dose, and 43% of the population 16 and older has received at least one dose. More than 8 million people, of whom about 32 million are eligible, are fully vaccinated.
Californians 16 and older can make appointments from April 15th.
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Associated Press author John Antczak in Los Angeles contributed to this report.