COVID: Despite J&J Doses, Vaccine Shortage Problems Continue For Bay Area - 'Just Don't Have Enough Supply'
DALY CITY (KPIX 5) – No matter if you're getting a COVID shot in San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda or Marin counties, the story is often the same: there are not enough doses to go around.
"Today, the main limitation is that we just don't have enough supply," said Dr. Grant Colfax from the San Francisco County Department of Public Health.
In Daly City Friday afternoon, 300 essential workers were getting a Moderna dose after county leaders say the state's zip code equity failed here.
"I respect the state, I respect the governor, but we're doing it by zip codes, right? In San Mateo County, where we have Daly City, where we have East Palo Alto, where we have farm workers on the coast - we had zero that qualified within those zip codes to get those extra doses," said president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, David Canepa.
In a Zoom news conference Friday, the CEO of Blue Shield says their management system will allow counties to keep track of every single dose and prevent uncertainty about when more are arriving.
"The ability to know where the vaccine is at all times, know what the inventory is with each provider, allows for a much smoother, predictable, manageable system that can optimize performance and demonstrate to the federal government that California is doing a great job and should get more supply," said Paul Markovich.
More supply is on the way, in the form of the single dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which San Francisco started injecting Friday the at the City College mass vaccine site.
"We have the capacity to do over 3,000 vaccines a day here when we get enough vaccine," Dr. Colfax said.
Starting Monday, doses will also open up to a wider group of people, including those with disabilities and those with long term illnesses and compromised immune systems.
"We're excited we're able to open up more eligibility, but we're still waiting for more vaccine to come in. From what we know right now, we will not have enough vaccine to meet demand," said Dr. Colfax.
Those with disabilities were kicked out of line in late January when the state shook up the vaccine tier system.
When KPIX 5 last spoke to Adam Byers in January, he was advocating for he and others to be put back in line for vaccine doses. As of Friday, he already has one dose in his arm is relieved others like him will finally start getting their shots.
"I think that the state listened when we told them that the state needed to make a priority for the most kind of vulnerable at risk populations when we spoke out," Byers told KPIX5.
