Sutter lowers age limit for COVID shots in Modesto. Why are some skipping 2nd dose?
Sutter Health said an increased supply of coronavirus vaccine enables the Sacramento-based health system to schedule thousands of more appointments at its vaccination centers.
On Wednesday, Sutter lowered its age limit for COVID vaccinations to 16 and over, consistent with the state’s eligibility guidelines. Sutter said its large-scale clinics in the Central Valley and Bay Area have administered more than 660,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine this year.
Sutter has a vaccination hub in Modesto for people who schedule appointments. It also has clinics in Ceres, Tracy and other locations for the immunizations. Appointments are contingent on vaccine supply.
Information wasn’t available on the number of COVID vaccine doses administered at Sutter clinics in Stanislaus County.
A Sutter spokeswoman noted that teens 16 or 17 years old are only approved for the Pfizer vaccine. Those patients should bring a parent or guardian to their appointment or have them sign a consent form.
State and local health officials are hoping for widespread immunization before a full reopening of California’s economy set for June 15.
In Stanislaus County, about 48 percent of residents eligible for coronavirus vaccines — those 16 years and older — have received at least one dose and about 30 percent are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The county Health Services Agency has seen smaller turnout at its public vaccination clinics held in Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale and Patterson, and plans to phase them out starting in mid-May. The agency will expand the use of mobile clinics and closed pods to inoculate residents.
Thursday, the county will hold a clinic at Modesto Centre Plaza from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine. The same vaccines will be administered at Modesto Centre Plaza on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, the county vaccine clinics will be open at Stanislaus State University in Turlock and the Hammon Senior Center in Patterson from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Turlock clinic will have first and second doses of Pfizer and the Patterson clinic will offer first and second doses of Moderna.
No appointments are necessary for a clinic Friday at the Gladys Lemmons Senior Center in Oakdale, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., providing second doses of Moderna.
The county encourages people to make appointments online at the state’s My Turn program but walk-ins are accepted at the clinics.
Health officials say two doses are important
The public clinics have mostly administered the two-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and have run into challenges when people don’t return for the second shot. A county spokesperson said the “no-show” rate for residents who have scheduled dates for a second dose is 6 percent.
In April, the county clinics expected to give 20,221 shots to people scheduled for second doses. A total of 18,946 doses were administered and 1,275 people were no-shows. It does not mean those doses were wasted. It means those people had less protection against COVID-19, the spokesperson said.
Kamlesh Kaur, a health educator for Stanislaus County, said the strongest studies have concluded the Pfizer vaccine is from 52.4 percent to 68.5 percent effective after one dose.
Studies have shown two doses of Pfizer are 91 percent effective against COVID-19 for up to six months and 95 to 100 percent effective in preventing severe COVID disease. Two doses of Moderna is considered 94 percent effective.
“It’s very important to get both doses for the best protection against COVID-19 disease,” Kaur said.
She said some people are not able to keep an appointment for their second dose, three to four weeks after the first. Many of the no-shows received a second dose when they contacted the county or staff made follow-up calls to them, Kaur said.
Those who missed their second dose can make another appointment, or another option is walking into a first-dose clinic. (Don’t walk into a second-dose clinic.) The two-step vaccines can be administered six weeks apart.
According to the state, about 322,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in Stanislaus County thanks to the work of the county, pharmacies, private health care providers and clinics.
More places are continually added to the list of vaccine providers such as Boies Pharmacy in Turlock.
Doctors Medical Center in Modesto has a second-dose clinic scheduled for May 5-6, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., for those who received a first shot of Pfizer at the hospital’s clinic April 12-13. The clinic location is the basement level of 1400 Florida Ave.
The Stanislaus County Health Services Agency has information about coronavirus vaccine, clinic dates and private vaccine providers at www.schsa.org.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 9:42 AM.
