“We’re going to start out seeing extra speedy distribution of vaccines, I can guarantee you of that,” promised California Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday. “That mentioned, it’s gone too slowly, I do know, for many people. All of us, I feel, we wish to see 100% of what’s obtained instantly administered in folks’s arms.”
That has not been the case.
Newsom revealed on Monday that the state has obtained practically 1.3 million doses of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and one other 611,500 doses have been shipped to the state. As of Sunday, nevertheless, solely 454,306 doses had truly been administered.
The state had projected that it might administer 2-2.5 million doses of the vaccine to Californians by this week.
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“We’re working aggressively to speed up our tempo,” Newsom mentioned. That effort will embrace increasing the variety of distribution websites and the kinds of people that can provide the pictures together with dentists, pharmacy technicians and members of the Nationwide Guard.
“In order that’s a problem, a problem across this country. It’s a problem for that matter world wide, however that’s not an excuse.”
The governor sought to clarify that California was not chargeable for the precise distribution or administration of the vaccines.
“I feel there’s this notion that the vaccines arrive in some state facility,” mentioned Newsom, earlier than asking the state’s director of Well being and Human Companies, Dr. Mark Ghaly, to elaborate.
“Pfizer and Moderna ship these doses on to the hospitals and clinics,” mentioned Ghaly. “It’s actually constructed on not a state infrastructure, however the [preexisting] healthcare supply construction.”
In Los Angeles County, well being officers mentioned that as of Saturday, the county had obtained 198,995 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with simply 96,390 of them truly administered. The county obtained 81,571 doses of Moderna vaccine, with solely 22,221 administered. The county expects to obtain one other 82,745 Pfizer doses this week, and 50,700 Moderna doses.
Newsom mentioned he was conscious of “anecdotal proof” that some frontline well being care employees — the highest vaccination precedence — have been declining to be vaccinated, however he had no particular numbers. He mentioned the state was conducting a survey to get a greater concept of the state of affairs.
The governor additionally promised extra particulars in regards to the vaccine distribution phases can be forthcoming on Wednesday
“We’ve obtained work to do on this,” he mentioned. “Clearly as we transfer into January, we wish to see issues speed up and we wish to see issues go a lot quicker.”
The urgency of that effort was underscored when governor revealed that state officers predict “a surge on high of a surge” of infections “related to the vacations.” That rise can be over and above the elevated ranges of circumstances, hospitalizations and deaths now being seen from Thanksgiving. Newsom predicted the rise can be “coming within the subsequent variety of days and weeks.”
In the meantime, Newsom mentioned there are actually six confirmed circumstances within the state of a brand new Covid-19 variant B.1.1.7 that was first detected in the UK. The brand new pressure of the virus shouldn’t be thought of extra harmful, however it’s much more contagious and spreads extra quickly.
The virility of that pressure led British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday to announce a nationwide lockdown in an effort to manage its unfold. Johnson mentioned his advisers knowledgeable him the brand new pressure was 50% to 70% extra transmissible than the unique virus. Scotland’s First Minister additionally announced that her nation would enter a monthlong lockdown.
Of the six circumstances present in California, 4 have been detected in San Diego County — which confirmed the diagnoses final week — and two extra have been recognized in San Bernardino County. Newsom famous that extra circumstances will nearly assuredly be detected.
He added that federal well being officers imagine the present COVID-19 vaccines may also shield in opposition to the brand new pressure of the virus.
