COVID vaccination clinics in Stanislaus County postponed until further notice
A shortage of COVID vaccine went from bad to worse Friday as Stanislaus County postponed community vaccination clinics until further notice.
Citing severe weather conditions in other states, the county said shipments of Moderna vaccine have been delayed. The lack of vaccine affects the county’s plans to hold vaccine clinics next week, the notice said.
“We will post clinic schedules once we have received our vaccine shipment,” the county notice said. Residents who are due for their second doses of Moderna vaccines will be notified of a rescheduled date later in the week. The county notifies people by text or voice message.
Eligibility for COVID vaccinations will expand into Phase 1B Tier 1 of the state’s priority guidelines Monday, making school and childcare employees and workers in the food and agriculture sectors eligible for the two-dose vaccines, starting with those age 50 and older.
But chances of finding a shot are slim until additional clinics are scheduled.
Kamlesh Kaur, a spokesperson for the county Health Services Agency, said the county hopes to receive the shipment of Moderna doses early next week. The county could have clinics scheduled again as early as Wednesday, she said.
“It did not affect the Pfizer vaccine; those came in,” Kaur said. Moderna doses won’t be available for people scheduled for a second dose Monday and Tuesday and the county needs to reset those return dates, she said.
The county’s coronavirus vaccine clinics are held at Modesto Centre Plaza, Stanislaus State University in Turlock and the Oakdale senior center. A new site in Patterson will be announced soon.
County officials began to warn people Thursday on social media that severe weather including snow and ice in Texas and the eastern United States would possibly delay vaccine shipments to the county.
The limited vaccine supply will also delay larger school districts planning to use points of dispensing, or pods, for vaccinating their own employees on a voluntary basis.
Some school districts informed teachers and support staff they could visit a county vaccine clinic next week for their first dose. But the county postponed the clinics Friday afternoon.
Modesto City Schools plans to operate a vaccine pod for staff age 50 and older at the Downey High gymnasium. The county’s largest school district, with more than 3,200 employees, is waiting for the green light from county public health before proceeding with the pod and ordering vaccines, an update to staff said Thursday.
MCS employees will be able to schedule appointments by using an online registration link. A coalition of food and agriculture companies also has worked with the county on a vaccination site for employees that won’t be open to the public.
Some residents are anxious about 2nd dose
The county clinic closure early next week affects people in Phase 1A and seniors 65 and older who were scheduled for a second dose to boost effectiveness against the virus.
Elizabeth Laird, 72, was waiting to hear whether she could get her second vaccine dose. When she received the first shot of Moderna vaccine almost four weeks ago, Laird was given a card scheduling her second dose Monday at Modesto Centre Plaza.
“They told me if I don’t hear from them to go to the same place,” said Laird, who expressed mixed feelings about the vaccine program. “It has taken a long time and they are not quite organized. When they say a second shot on the 22nd, they should make sure they have those shots on that day.”
A Turlock man told The Modesto Bee he wasn’t able to get a second Pfizer shot recently at the county clinic at Stanislaus State University because that brand was not available.
Before the postponement was announced Friday, Lin Thornton of Ceres said he was due for a second dose Monday and wondered if the Modesto clinic would be open.
Thornton, an 81-year-old veteran, said he has three times arrived early for clinics — at 3 a.m. — and for various reasons only managed to get a single dose. He won’t be able to get that second shot Monday.
“I have a bad leg. I take my chair with me and sit,” said Thornton, who served in the Korean War and was one of the early military advisers in the Vietnam conflict. He saw worse conditions in war zones and does not complain. “They are doing all they can,” Thornton said.
A Gallup poll, released 10 days ago, found acceptance of COVID-19 vaccinations had grown to 70 percent in the United States, but two thirds of Americans were not happy with the vaccine rollout that began more than two months ago.
Sutter Gould suspends appointment process
The vaccine shortage has also stymied large private health providers that have the ability to vaccinate thousands of patients.
Sutter Health stopped booking appointments for patients 65 and older at a vaccination hub in Modesto almost 10 days ago.
“At this time, Sutter Health has paused scheduling new first dose appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations, which includes locations in Stanislaus County, due to a lack of vaccine supply,” a Sutter spokesperson said Friday.
“Our vaccination program relies on vaccine supply from the state. Inclement weather has additionally impacted already allocated doses which were en route, causing further impacts to Sutter, as well as other health systems,” the statement said.
Sutter said it has ample capacity to inoculate tens of thousands of patients every day at facilities in the Sacramento area, Central Valley and Bay Area. But that depends on vaccine supplies that are not coming in. “As soon as more vaccine is made available to us, we will reopen appointments,” Sutter said.
Kaur said county staff won’t sit on their hands when clinics are closed early next week.
The county and school districts plan a closed training for school nursing staff who will operate dispensing pods for eligible employees who want a COVID vaccination. The eligibility is expanding for teachers age 50 and older who are in class with kindergarten through sixth grade students and those who could return to modified classrooms at middle schools and high schools in mid-March.
Officials have not said when educators in other age groups will be eligible for COVID vaccine in this county.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday the state will reserve 10 percent of all vaccine first doses for school and childcare workers starting in March as the state works to get students back into classrooms.
The county Health Services Agency advises people to ask if vaccine is available from their doctors or at pharmacies supplied with vaccine through a federal program. The county has a list of approved providers who may have vaccine by appointment at www.schsa.org.
Here are some tips for newly eligible people choosing to visit a county vaccine clinic when they reopen. Bring a photo ID, proof of age and proof of county residency or employment in Stanislaus County (such as a paycheck stub or company ID.)
Clinic locations and hours are posted on the Stanemergency.com Facebook page and at www.schsa.org.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 6:27 PM.
