California counties are struggling to keep up with the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine.Health officials in Sacramento, Yolo, San Joaquin, El Dorado and Placer counties said they would be able to administer more vaccines, if they had more supply.KCRA 3 spoke with Yolo County Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson about the supply and the challenges it creates.Here are three things to know:County health officials said supply is becoming the biggest barrierSisson said without the supply, officials cannot administer vaccines.She said Yolo County receives an average of 2,000 doses of the vaccine from the state each week.She estimates the county could administer about five times that number, if given the supply.“I think we could pretty comfortably do 7,000 to 10,000 doses a week on the county side,” Sisson said. “That’s in addition to what our health care systems, Dignity, Kaiser, Sutter and UC Davis Health are able to administer.”Planning vaccination clinics is difficultSisson said the county learns about a week in advance the number of doses it will receive from the state.She said officials then quickly scramble to figure out where and when to schedule drive-thru clinics and how many doses will be available.“It’s hard not being able to see more than a week into the future,” Sisson said. “The federal government has promised to provide three weeks of visibility moving forward. We haven’t seen that at the local level yet, though.”She said they also need to factor in the number of people expecting a second dose.Some cities are scaling back vaccination sites due to short supply.Los Angeles is temporarily closing five vaccination sites, including Dodger Stadium, due to limited supply.‘It’s not necessarily anybody’s fault’Sisson said while the vaccine supply creates challenges for the statewide rollout, placing blame is not necessary. County health officials request vaccines from the state.The state receives an allocation of vaccines from the federal government but is unable to request a specific number, according to the California Department of Public Health.“I don’t think that necessarily anybody is to blame,” Sisson said. “We have a brand-new vaccine that can only be produced so quickly. It’s a limitation and a reality, but it’s not necessarily anybody’s fault.”
California counties are struggling to keep up with the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Health officials in Sacramento, Yolo, San Joaquin, El Dorado and Placer counties said they would be able to administer more vaccines, if they had more supply.
KCRA 3 spoke with Yolo County Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson about the supply and the challenges it creates.
Here are three things to know:
County health officials said supply is becoming the biggest barrier
Sisson said without the supply, officials cannot administer vaccines.
She said Yolo County receives an average of 2,000 doses of the vaccine from the state each week.
She estimates the county could administer about five times that number, if given the supply.
“I think we could pretty comfortably do 7,000 to 10,000 doses a week on the county side,” Sisson said. “That’s in addition to what our health care systems, Dignity, Kaiser, Sutter and UC Davis Health are able to administer.”
Planning vaccination clinics is difficult
Sisson said the county learns about a week in advance the number of doses it will receive from the state.
She said officials then quickly scramble to figure out where and when to schedule drive-thru clinics and how many doses will be available.
“It’s hard not being able to see more than a week into the future,” Sisson said. “The federal government has promised to provide three weeks of visibility moving forward. We haven’t seen that at the local level yet, though.”
She said they also need to factor in the number of people expecting a second dose.
Some cities are scaling back vaccination sites due to short supply.
Los Angeles is temporarily closing five vaccination sites, including Dodger Stadium, due to limited supply.
‘It’s not necessarily anybody’s fault’
Sisson said while the vaccine supply creates challenges for the statewide rollout, placing blame is not necessary.
County health officials request vaccines from the state.
The state receives an allocation of vaccines from the federal government but is unable to request a specific number, according to the California Department of Public Health.
“I don’t think that necessarily anybody is to blame,” Sisson said. “We have a brand-new vaccine that can only be produced so quickly. It’s a limitation and a reality, but it’s not necessarily anybody’s fault.”