Biden’s directive on doses praised
State’s path to availability for all by May 1 is unclear
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom embraced a directive Thursday from President Biden to make the coronavirus vaccine available to all adults by May 1, but seven weeks out from the deadline and amid continuing supply challenges, it’s unclear what the change could mean for Californians seeking to get their shots.
One Bay Area county said it could be ready to inoculate all adults by the end of this month, while other health officials cautioned that without a greater supply of vaccine doses from the federal government, the May 1 goal would be impossible to meet. For now, they said, the focus remains on improving vaccination rates in communities hit hardest by the pandemic, which have been left behind in the early rollout.
“With President Biden’s announcement, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter,” Newsom said in a statement, echoing a phrase that he has used repeatedly in recent weeks as California ramped up its pace of vac
cinations and a wintertime surge of the virus receded.
The governor said he shared Biden’s commitment to ensuring all adults who want a vaccine can get one, but offered no details about when or how the state would reach that goal.
“In these phases of limited vaccine supply, we have been guided by equity and prioritized those most exposed and most at risk — both the right thing to do and the fastest way to end the pandemic,” Newsom said. “We look forward to learning more about the president’s plan and working together to make this important goal a reality.”
In a primetime speech Thursday, Biden said he has told states to make everyone 18 and older eligible to receive vaccine doses by May 1, with the goal of allowing Americans to safely gather by the Fourth of July holiday.
“After this long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special,” he said, “where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus.”
Comparing his response to putting the nation “on a war footing,” Biden said his administration would take additional steps aimed at making it easier for people to get shots, including launching a website to help them find vaccine appointments.
Biden said he needed “every American to do their part” by getting vaccinated and persuading their family and friends to get vaccinated as well. But he warned people not to let up on safety precautions yet.
“We can’t let our guard down. This fight is far from over,” he said. “If we don’t stay vigilant and the conditions change, we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track. And please, we don’t want to do that.”
His directive will put pressure on nearly every state in the country. So far, only Alaska has made the coronavirus vaccine available to all adults, expanding eligibility this week to everyone 16 and older.
California struggled early on with a vaccine rollout that was among the slowest in the nation, and it has shifted strategies multiple times in recent months in an effort to get shots into people’s arms faster. As of Thursday, providers had administered about 11 million doses, and more than 19% of Californians had received at least one dose.
After dropping a riskbased priority system in favor of eligibility based on age, the state decided last month to set aside 10% of first vaccine doses for educators to push schools to reopen for inperson instruction. Another change announced last week would allocate 40% of supply to the lowestincome communities to address persistent racial inequities in who has been vaccinated. Californians with disabilities or underlying medical conditions become eligible starting Sunday, and Thursday, the state said transit workers and those living in congregate facilities would be, too.
The state also contracted with insurance giant Blue Shield of California to take over its vaccine distribution system, though some counties, including Santa Clara, are refusing to sign on.
All along, Newsom has maintained that the biggest barrier to getting Californians vaccinated is a shortage of doses. In his State of the State address Tuesday, the governor bragged that his administration had “built a vaccine system where our only constraint now is manufactured supply.”
Even Biden acknowledged that people will still be waiting when May comes, despite his directive.
“Let me be clear: That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to have that shot immediately, but it means you’ll be able to get in line beginning May 1,” Biden said.
Bay Area health officials expressed excitement and confidence about Biden’s directive, while also calling on the president to send more vaccine doses.
“Honestly, I’d be surprised if most of California can’t achieve that,” said Dr. Bela Matyas, the Solano County health officer, who said his county was on pace to expand eligibility to all adults as soon as the end of March. “Seven weeks is a long time for us to be able to get to that point.”
But three months into the state’s vaccination campaign, some counties are still reporting regular vaccine shortages that force them to cancel or postpone appointments. They’ve also complained about unreliable supplies that make it challenging to plan ahead.
Dr. Matt Willis, the health officer for Marin County, welcomed a change that would “make the whole system less complex,” though he was skeptical after previous promises of increased vaccine allocations did not materialize. He said his team would remain focused on outreach to marginalized communities and protecting appointment slots for people who are most vulnerable to the virus as eligibility expands and competition for doses intensifies.
“If it is not matched with significant increases of doses, it will make things worse because it creates expectations that everyone is equally eligible when everyone is not equally vulnerable,” Willis said. “It will lead to more local gatekeeping.”
Dr. Ori Tzvieli, deputy health officer for Contra Costa County, said he hoped Biden’s announcement would lead to an increase in supply that would allow the county to open mass vaccination sites.
“We are set up with a lot of vaccine capacity and not vaccines. We’re ready to go,” Tzvieli said.
In a statement, Dr. Grant Colfax, director of public health for San Francisco, said the city is ready to vaccinate more than 10,000 people a day when supply allows.