The province’s latest vaccination superstructure was opened at the Del Mar fair on Friday morning for a test run of about 288 patients. The same day, a missed shipment of the Moderna vaccine nationwide became concerned about shortened supplies.
The state also announced Friday that vaccinations will be available from March 15 for a larger group of people, including those 64 and younger with cancer, obesity and other underlying conditions.
Vaccinations will be delayed for the time being in San Diego County due to limited supply, and in some cases, appointments will need to be rescheduled. The official’s largest site, the UC San Diego Health Petco Super Station, delivers no vaccinations on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and appointments there will be automatically rescheduled by the UCSD’s MyChart.
Second doses will remain the priority in all areas. The superstations in South County and East County have enough supplies to get through Monday, and the North County superstructure in San Marcos has enough supplies to address with the second dose and a limited amount of first doses.
Nathan Fletcher, chairman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, said Friday afternoon that the break, while undesirable, is not entirely unexpected.
“We are facing a situation with a very volatile and volatile supply chain, and we knew that situations like this, even though we try to prevent them, are likely to happen,” Fletcher said.
Even when the current situation with Moderna resolves itself, he noted that the need for second doses by those who have already received their first doses is likely to result in a situation where there are few appointments available on the first dose.
“There is a very high probability that in the coming weeks, given the current supply, there will be a period where there will be very few appointments available on the first dose,” Fletcher said.
California officials said Friday that people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are disabled or at high risk for COVID-19 disease and death are eligible to be vaccinated from next month.
The move comes after weeks of debate over who will be at the forefront of the queue for precious doses, which is in short supply. Officials estimate that the move will take 4 to 6 million more people into account for the vaccine, bringing the total population of California between 17 million and 20 million, or about half of the state.
Ultimately, it is up to local providers to decide who gets the vaccination immediately, with medical workers, first responders, 65 years and older, teachers and essential workers all fighting for shots.
All of the vaccinations were delivered on the opening day Friday at Del Mar Fairgrounds superstation, which is run by Scripps Health, using the Pfizer vaccine, as planned, about one hour.
There are still 588 transit patients scheduled on Saturday and again on Sunday. Scripps officials said they hope to phase out the next few weeks to vaccinate as many as 5,000 people a day at the fair if enough of the vaccine is available.
“It was the most efficient, I must say,” said Teresa McKethan, 66, a La Jolla resident who drove through in her Toyota SUV. “There were no complications at all.”
She repeatedly tried to get an appointment at the Petco Park site, without success. When she saw on Thursday that appointments were available at the fair, she went online and followed up on both her Friday visit and the second dose.
“People are very happy,” said Michelle Meyer, a registered nurse and 22-year-old Scripps employee. The fairgrounds is the third vaccination station she is helping to set up.
“I get a lot of people crying … thank you so much for just being here,” she said. Some have told her it is the first time outside their home since the pandemic began, and for them it is a sign that things are going to get back to normal.
The vaccinations are given inside the Wyland Center, a cave used for exhibits during the San Diego County Fair.
Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health, vaccinated Christian Dollahon, 66, of Oceanside with the Pfizer vaccine Friday at the new driveway at Del Mar Fairgrounds.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Cars drive into the building and are divided into nine separate lanes, each with three stations delivering shots. A nurse asks some questions and examines whether allergies or medical conditions occur. The whole process takes about five minutes.
After that, each vehicle gets a timer in a plastic bag on the hood, and then the driver is instructed to drive outside to the parking lot and wait there. The timer goes off in 15 minutes, and unless there is a medical response, a volunteer takes the timer and the driver is free to leave.
Continued operations depend on the weekly supply of the vaccine, which is uncertain, said Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps.
“We are blessed to have enough now for the next few days,” Van Gorder said.
San Diego County gets a new supply every Tuesday, but the vaccination stations do not know from week to week how much of the vaccine is available. The state also requires that the sites use all the vaccine they receive and do not store it for a second dose.
In recent weeks, the supply of the vaccine has been tighter, and on Friday, Scripps had to return part of the stock to the country, he said.
“Each of these vials is liquid gold,” he said. “It’s the light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of people.”
The fair still has room due to the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of all major events, including the San Diego County Fair, over the past year.
The possibility of opening a vaccination center at the fair emerged during a Jan. 20 meeting with Terra Lawson-Remer, supervisor in San Diego County, said Carlene Moore, chief executive of the fair.
“Since then, it’s been moving very fast,” Moore said. “We’re really proud to be partners” with the country and Scripps.
Two weeks ago, the Wyland Center was used to store donations for the nonprofit goodwill, she said. These items were moved to another building at the fair.
The fair has long been used for emergency services, and easy access to Interstate 5 is a benefit to residents in the country.
“That’s what makes this facility important to the community,” Moore said.
Over the years, it has become an emergency shelter for people and livestock during wildfires. In April, it hosted one of the largest food distribution events in the country for families affected by the pandemic.
On Friday, the country reported 817 new COVID-19 cases, 179 hospitalizations and 24 deaths. This is the fourth time in the last seven days that case numbers have fallen below the 1000 mark. So far, there have been no signs of an increase in Super Bowl in cases; it usually takes 4-5 days before an infected person shows symptoms. Another encouraging sign: the total number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the country has been steadily declining over the past 28 days, although a widespread vaccination effort will be the key to ensuring that these numbers remain forever.
Staff writers Paul Sisson and Jonathan Wosen contributed to this story.