Fewer people are getting COVID vaccines in Stanislaus County. Will after-hours clinics help?
Stanislaus County may get away from regular hours with its coronavirus vaccination clinics because fewer people are showing up for the shots.
The county’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics administered 3,237 fewer shots last week compared with the previous week, a 28 percent decrease. Officials attributed the decline to clinics held during weekday hours when people are working or attending school.
Officials said mobile clinics could be used more often to bring vaccine to hard-to-reach residents.
Since COVID-19 vaccinations became available in January, the county and other providers have fully vaccinated 113,905 residents, or 20 percent of the county population, according to California Department of Public Health data.
A total of 299,823 doses have been administered.
Local health officials need to get second doses into the arms of thousands of people and bring vaccine to those who are hesitant or hard to reach — to achieve a “herd immunity” level of 60 to 70 percent. Stanislaus has also lagged behind the state average in delivering vaccinations for residents age 65 and older, an official said.
“Some people have a long drive to our mass vaccination clinics,” said Vito Chiesa, chairman of the county Board of Supervisors.
“We have had some success with clinics after hours,” Chiesa said. County public health will try scheduling more clinics with afternoon or evening hours, such as noon to 8 p.m., and more clinics on weekends.
Clinics held Tuesday and Thursday last week at Modesto Centre Plaza administered 2,900 shots compared to 3,562 the same days the previous week, an 18.5 percent decrease.
There was no line Thursday morning at Modesto Centre Plaza on the first official day of 16 and older eligibility in California. (The county started vaccinating that age group April 1.)
The 1,993 doses Monday and Wednesday at Stanislaus State University last week was 20 percent less than the shots at two weekday clinics April 5 and April 7.
All told, the county clinics injected 8,472 doses last week and 11,709 the previous week. Stanislaus receives a weekly allocation of 26,000 doses from the state, some of which is allocated to health care providers that administer the COVID vaccine.
Chiesa said if the trend were to continue, he would not be surprised if the county asked for a smaller allocation from the state. But less vaccine is not going to accomplish the task of immunizing the public.
“The volume varies by day and hours,” said Kamlesh Kaur, a county public health spokesperson. “We see a better turnout during weekends and evenings.”
Kaur noted that many people in the 16 to 50 age group are working or attending school from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. when most clinics have been held. Two Saturday clinics accounted for 30 percent of the doses administered the week of April 5-10.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause
Last week, federal and state health officials recommended a pause in using Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women in the country who received the vaccine came down with rare blood clots and one died. The state said it suspended the J&J vaccine out of an “abundance of caution” while the small number of adverse reactions is investigated.
The county Health Services Agency administered 4,043 doses of J&J vaccine at public clinics out of 4,220 reserved for clinics. The county distributed 7,830 doses of J&J to health care providers and pharmacies.
The single-dose vaccine has been a small percentage of a weekly county allocation of 26,000 doses from the state, which is mainly two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. The state allocation to Stanislaus was down 1,600 doses last week due to the pause in J&J use, Kaur said.
Golden Valley Health Centers had planned to offer 1,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson at a public clinic in Riverbank last Thursday, but changed to Pfizer after J&J vaccine was put on hold. Golden Valley said 795 Pfizer doses were injected at the clinic.
Questions about college student vaccinations
College students are another substantial population that is recommended for COVID-19 vaccinations. The California State University system is not making the vaccinations mandatory for students, which include students who will return to in-person learning at Stanislaus State University in the fall.
Chico State University issued a news release last week saying COVID shots will be mandatory for students living in university housing and for participants in NCAA athletics.
Stanislaus State in Turlock did not have a statement on vaccine policy after inquiries were made to public affairs staff last week.
The Yosemite Community College District has not issued a policy on COVID-19 vaccinations for students.
This story was originally published April 19, 2021 at 11:17 AM.
