The change took place almost overnight.
The ballroom at Meritage Resort and Spa, the largest vaccination clinic in Napa County, saw from a flood of residents who wanted vaccination for coronavirus vaccinations, to just a drop in the days after California’s vaccination expansion for all 16 and older.
On Friday, the first day the clinic opened to the public after the expansion across the country, virtually all of the 1,400 appointments were snapped up. But by Tuesday, only two-thirds of the available appointments had been booked that day – about 2,300 out of 3,400. The schedule for the rest of the week indicates a sharp decline in interest.
Less than 1,500 people booked appointments for nearly 3,700 available appointments late Tuesday afternoon. For Thursday and Friday, only 82 people and 46 people signed up respectively, though more than 3,200 slots are available each day.
The interest is declining so fast that the website, which previously encouraged everyone to make appointments, is now open for walk-in every day, from 09:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:00. Unused doses sit in deep freezers .
“We certainly have the ability, the will and the volunteers and the dedication of everyone who does this work in Napa County,” said Janet Upton, state spokeswoman. “But what we are missing now is apparently public interest.”
Although the apparent uptake in a single location is only a glance at the local vaccination, it contrasts strongly with the past few months, when it appeared that the lack of vaccine was the biggest problem in delaying vaccinations.
Young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 appear to be particularly unimportant, or at least not very eager to be vaccinated, Upton said, referring to the observation by health officer, dr. Karen Relucio,’s observations at local vaccine clinics.
As a result, the country’s health officials and their partners for the mass vaccination site – Kaiser Permanente, Queen of the Valley Medical Center and Ole Health – are now shifting their outreach messages to try to get more people on board.
“We are linking our messages of ‘Scarcity, wait your turn’ to the issue of vaccine vaccines,” Upton said. “We are trying our best to hesitate those who may need to hear a call to action from someone other than a government entity.”
About 57% of the province’s residents aged 16 and over received at least one dose of vaccine, and according to the country’s data, 40% were fully vaccinated. Public health experts estimate that the percentage of people who need to be vaccinated must reach 70% or higher to achieve herd immunity.
Health officials work with faith leaders, community groups, teachers, coaches and others to reach out to the remaining unvaccinated residents.
“We are making good progress, but now the call to action for our communities is: ‘We need your help to get to the finish line,'” Upton said. ‘It’s really going to be at that time where faith-based organizations, food banks, other mechanisms, trusted friends and family members should be the ones to carry the message forward until we get the 75% or 80% community immunity we strive for. ”
Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @ Kat_Ho