Counties complain of new vaccine delivery
SAN FRANCISCO — More counties in California are reopening for business as Coronavirus infection rates fall, but angst remains over the governor’s plan to centralize the vaccine delivery system. The largest county in the San Francisco Bay Area now says it won’t participate in it.
Elected officials are also pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom to reconsider another reopening plan he announced last week, one that ties equity metrics to the economy. The governor pledged to send more doses to vulnerable neighborhoods, but critics say the ZIP codes he wants to use do not capture all the pockets of poverty in the state.
On Tuesday, three more Bay Area counties joined San Francisco to reopen for dining, museums and movie theaters indoors and at limited capacity. The chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Chapek, said Tuesday that Disneyland Resort in Southern California will likely reopen by late April, after the governor lifted restrictions on outdoor sports and entertainment venues.
But significant questions remain over Newsom’s initiatives, including what happens if counties don’t participate in the new statewide system administered by insurer Blue Shield. The governor tapped the insurance company to create uniform rules and increase the rate of vaccinations, especially in hard-hit communities, through a centralized online portal.
County officials say they don’t have enough details and the number of changes are confusing.
“Every two weeks the governor changes his mind, and the allocation methodology changes,” Jim Hunt, acting director of Sacramento County Health Services, told supervisors Tuesday.
In Santa Clara, County Executive Dr. Jeff Smith said late Monday that his county won’t sign a contract with Blue Shield because it would not improve speed or efficiency.
The county has been distributing COVID-19 vaccines from the start, ensuring equitable outreach to socially disadvantaged communities, including farmworkers, the county said in a statement to The Associated Press. The county noted that its allocations have decreased recently and are expected to drop further.
Smith told a Tuesday meeting of the county’s Board of Supervisors that the contract would not bring in more doses, while adding “another layer of administration” that could delay getting residents getting vaccinated.
“It eliminates local control,” Smith told the supervisors. “It would put statewide priorities over local needs.”
The state’s switch to a vaccine appointment and delivery system administered by Blue Shield was expected to be completed by March 31. So far, only Kern County has signed a contract with Blue Shield.