Government Gavin Newsom and California’s top health official like the sound of President Joe Biden’s plan to qualify for all coronavirus vaccines by May 1.
But they are not keeping up and agree that California will only open its doors to everyone for seven weeks from Saturday.
Instead, the reactions to Biden’s speech on Thursday night from Newsom and dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the agency for health and human services, gave the federal government the duty to keep the promise.
“We share the president’s commitment to ensuring that all adults who want a vaccine can get one,” Newsom said in a statement on Thursday. “We look forward to learning more about the President’s plan and working together to achieve this important goal.”
At a Friday briefing on Biden’s vision to celebrate the “independence” of COVID-19 by celebrating the Fourth of July with events in the garden, Ghaly said: “We are not circulating an appointment yet – but we are ready for something around time when all these different pieces come together as we all hope. ”
According to Ghaly, California will offer many more COVID vaccines.
The state now administers 200,000 to 240,000 shots a day, Ghaly said, but may have to hand out twice as much – 350,000 to 400,000 every day – to get closer to Biden’s goal.
“Our job in the state is to be ready for anything the federal government (and) the manufacturers can send us, and that’s what we’re working hard to get ready for,” Ghaly said.
Tight supplies have meant that those now eligible for shots – people aged 65 and over, food and agricultural workers, educators and health workers – sometimes struggle to book appointments, while some Bay Area providers have had to cancel appointments or stop planning new ones.
And while the vaccine supply is not expected to increase dramatically in the coming weeks, California will increase its fitness pool on Monday by more than 4 million people, allowing residents with certain serious medical conditions, as well as public transportation and airport workers, among others. to get shots.
Government officials said they believe significantly more doses will start arriving in April as production of the single-shot vaccine Johnson & Johnson increases, increasing photos of Pfizer and Moderna.
California’s logistics capability to deliver shots will also be crucial, said William Padula, a USC professor of pharmaceutical and health economics. Biden’s goal would be achievable if the state and Blue Shield – the health care organization with which California leaders entered into a controversial agreement to manage vaccine logistics – create a system that could live up to its promise to deliver several million shots each week. , Padula said.
“It’s possible,” he said. “But I do not know if it is likely.”
If all this happens, eliminating the restrictions on May 1 still does not mean that everyone can be vaccinated immediately. If done incorrectly, Padula warned that it could form a ‘logjam’ of people seeking appointments, making it even more difficult for those less skilled to get shots, even if they run a greater risk.
A better model, Padula said, is more of a waiting list system – something that California’s vaccination program does not currently have. In the system, instead of furiously refreshing the MyTurn.ca.gov website every day when they are looking for public appointments, people can secure their place in the queue by putting their name down on May 1st and finally ‘ get an appointment when one is available.
“They are standing in line,” Padula said, “and they know their name will appear.”
Staff Writer Marisa Kendall reported.