Vaccine 'Open Season' Begins; One-Third of Californians Fully Vaccinated
Updated: Apr 22, 2021
San Francisco is outpacing the state in percentage of vaccinated residents, with 37% of San Franciscans over 16 fully vaccinated
Local providers are expecting vaccine supply to dip in April, in part because of a nationwide pause in use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
Federal health authorities are expected to issue updated guidance on Johnson & Johnson vaccines as soon as this week
The latest vaccination numbers show San Francisco outpacing the state in administering vaccines as nationwide "open season" kicks into gear, with every adult now eligible to receive a vaccine.
California reported that about 34% of all residents statewide have been fully vaccinated, and another 20% have been partially vaccinated. In San Francisco, 37% of residents of all ages have received both shots, 58% are partially vaccinated, and providers in San Francisco were collectively administering between 10,000 and 12,600 shots per day to residents as of last week.
Local health officials said that San Francisco is on track to vaccinate all residents by June 30, and plans to expand eligibility to children 12 and over sometime next month.
San Francisco health providers are expecting vaccine supply to dip by about one-third in the month of April due to issues with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Earlier this month, the drugmaker had to discard 15 million doses due to a manufacturing error, and jurisdictions have also paused use of its vaccine amid an investigation into reported blood clots. Federal health authorities are expected to announced updated guidance on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the coming days.
San Francisco's COVID Command Center, which receives shots allocated directly to the county's health department, is receiving 10,000 Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week. It also received 10,000 doses last week, down from about 16,000 the week prior.
In San Francisco, California's vaccination maps show significant differences by zip code so far: Some of the most -vaccinated neighborhoods, such as Japantown, have an unusually high proportion of residents above age 65, who were eligible weeks ago. Treasure Island and Lakeshore, home to San Francisco State University, have the lowest percentage of residents fully vaccinated.
Zip codes 94102 (Hayes Valley and Tenderloin) and 94130 (Treasure Island) are also in the state's priority vaccination tier. Due to factors correlated with negative health outcomes, those zip codes are supposed to receive additional dose allocations and resources to ensure access for residents. Only 18% of Treasure Island residents have been fully vaccinated according to the state's data.
California says that the Johnson & Johnson snafus won't delay plans to reopen the state by June 15 as long as hospitalizations remain low and there is sufficient vaccine supply to meet demand by that time.
The state will also abandon its color-coded risk system, which assign counties risk levels that dictate what activities are permitted. San Francisco is currently in the orange tier, indicating moderate spread of COVID, but local officials hope to qualify for the less restrictive yellow tier in the coming weeks.
