California on Monday launched a new COVID-19 vaccine distribution system operated by insurance giant Blue Shield of California, a move that, according to government officials, will speed up the distribution of doses and unite a patchwork combination of the province with the fitness standards .
But for Bay residents, it will take a few more weeks to notice any difference.
One notable change is that the state’s My My Online system, accessible at myturn.ca.gov, will be the central location for all California residents to sign up for vaccinations. Individual provinces and healthcare providers will continue to play an important role in vaccinating people at their vaccinations and mobile clinics, but the central booking system will make the appointment appointments hopeful and straightforward.
When the state decides to extend the vaccination power to the next category of the population whose doses are present, every province in the state will have to follow at the same time. So far, health officials in the country have made their own call about when they should provide vaccinations to the next category of people.
As of Monday, those eligible to receive a vaccine in California include health care workers, long-term caregivers, people 65 and older, and employees working in agriculture and food, education and child care and emergency services. From March 15, people between the ages of 16 and 64 and severe health conditions such as cancer or heart disease, and those with developmental or other high-risk disabilities, will also be eligible.
Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccination at The UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program, said Blue Shield, which has been a major factor in California for decades, should give a “big boost to the spread of these vaccines. “
Swartzberg said Californians should notice a big improvement in the deployment of vaccines in the state, although it will likely take a month or so to take the intake completely. keep.
“I think we saw the worst of it clearly. But it will get much better, “he said. “I expect our state to be able to run the logistics and supply system hand-in-glove by April, and it’s going to be a lot easier to get a vaccine.”
Across the Bay, health departments said Monday they were still awaiting details on how Blue Shield’s takeover would change their vaccination processes. The Bay Area is in the third wave of the Blue Shield crossing, which is expected to take shape mid to late March. San Mateo County, for example, expects to fully transfer its appointment booking system to the state’s MyTurn website by March 15, a spokesman said.
Since all provinces in the Bay Area have been in line with the state’s criteria in recent days and weeks, the transition is not expected to immediately affect who can make a vaccination.
“We welcome the growing state leadership in vaccinating vaccines to ensure both speed and equity,” said Louise Rogers, head of San Mateo County Health, in a statement. “The County has the opportunity to meet with Blue Shield representatives this week to learn more about them.”
Blue Shield’s takeover of the vaccine distribution through the state comes when California bids farewell to a deadly winter wave COVID-19. California is averaging about a quarter of the number of new cases they saw at the beginning of February – about 5,050 a day over the past week compared to nearly 19,000. Meanwhile, the rate of positive COVID-19 tests dropped to 2.3% last Monday, near the lowest point of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.
In another promising sign, the state health department is expected to announce on Tuesday that another seven provinces from the state’s most restrictive purple reopening layer will drop to the red level.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 8.8 million doses of vaccine were administered in California as of Monday, meaning 15.5% of California residents received at least one shot and 6.6% received full treatment. has. California is expected to deliver 3 million shots a week this month and up to 4 million next month under Blue Shield’s leadership – both at 1 million a week in January.
Over the years, California’s Blue Shield has donated more than $ 1 million to Gavin Newsom’s campaigns and independent committees. Before appointing at least 16 Blue Shield employees in its COVID-19 test group to give the insurance giant a contract worth up to $ 15 million to direct the state’s vaccine distribution, Newsom had at least 16 Blue Shield employees in its test group appointed, including Paul Markovich, CEO of the company, to lead team together.
After Newsom came under fire at the end of January for an explosion system through enthusiasm, Newsom announced that Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente had been selected to help conduct the state’s vaccination campaign.
Although Blue Shield seems to be taking the reins, Kaiser and the state signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on February 23 stating that the healthcare giant will serve and continue in an advisory capacity to Blue Shield. to vaccinate eligible residents – both Kaiser. members and non-members – at mass vaccination centers in the Moscone Center in San Francisco and Cal Poly Pomona in Southern California. The MOU says Kaiser may ‘consider’ establishing other mass vaccination sites in the future.
The MOU also says that Kaiser will set up smaller vaccination clinics in vulnerable communities to reach residents who are being hit excessively hard by the virus.
Staff Writer Emily DeRuy contributed to this story.