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Bay Area Distribution Efforts Intensify as COVID Vaccine Eligibility Expands

SANTA CLARA (KPIX) -- Following the announcement that California will open up vaccine eligibility to those with health conditions and disabilities on March 15, there are still questions as to how that will actually work. Those questions were the subject of CDC call Saturday.

"Does a patient have to come to the clinic with a note from his or her doctor?" wondered Dr. John Swartzberg with the University of California at Berkeley. "I don't think so. Will we just trust people to be honest? Probably. Will that mean people will game the system? Most certainly. So these are, I think, the things we're struggling with."

Despite unanswered questions, the expanded vaccine access is clearly great news for those most at risk. It also gives another clue as to how things are unfolding behind the scenes.

"They're starting to get more confidence that the logistics are being worked out," Swartzberg said.

From stadiums to pharmacies to hospitals and clinics, logistics are being built out in every direction. What's needed is more vaccine.

While Gov. Newsom normally talks about supply terms of one or two weeks, he did say this about his longer-term thinking.

"The good news is, come March, April, May, we're going to start seeing more abundance," the governor said on Thursday.

"April, particularly toward the end of April," Swartzberg said.

"It's not going to be perfect but it's gonna be so much better. The most recent projections I've seen suggest that by June 1 we should have half the population immunized or at least having one full dose. It's really hard when you're sitting there waiting to get your vaccination and someone says 'wait a month.' I understand that but, in the greater scheme of things for the public, give it a month is a good message," Swartzberg concluded.

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