Lack Of Supply Hampering COVID Vaccination Efforts In Santa Clara County
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- There is growing confusion and deepening concern over when members of the general public will become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and if there will be an adequate supply.
"There's so many people like me who want to get this shot, who want to go back to work, who want to get back into a restaurant, a school, wherever it may be, "said teacher Patricia Guerra. "At some point, without sounding rude, we've got to get it together."
Guerra says she was left scrambling when the appointment for her second shot was abruptly cancelled amid an ongoing shortage of the vaccine.
Public health officials in Santa Clara County say a largely inadequate and inconsistent supply of the vaccine has hamstrung efforts to get more people their shots.
"We need more vaccine. We need to shout it from the rooftop, said county Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. "We have the capacity. We have the people who want the vaccine. We do not have the supply."
The vaccine shortages have even made it difficult for newly-eligible people, like those with pre-existing medical conditions, to secure an appointment.
" We've been scouring the internet, looking at CVS, Walgreens, the county," said parent Lynn Rose whose college-age daughter now qualifies for the vaccine.
"I thought it was something we could get going on, especially because she is living away at college with a little bit of added risk," said Rose. "I was excited about it but it's been very disheartening."
Public health officials in Santa Clara County say there are no immediate plans to make the vaccine available to new groups of people. They say the supply - or lack thereof - is the issue.
"The ability to resume widespread scheduling of first-dose appointments and open up to new tiers of eligibility are dependent on vaccine supply," the public health department said in a prepared statement.
