California, USA: "COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Only 1%... Due to Infrastructure Shortage"

Vaccinations Slow as Only Available at Hospitals and Health Centers
Measures Taken to Allow Vaccinations at Pharmacies and Private Clinics
State Government: "Will Increase by Over 2 Million Doses This Week"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] The COVID-19 vaccination rate in California, one of the hardest-hit states in the United States by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), remains only about 1% of the total population. The California state government stated that due to a lack of vaccination infrastructure, less than 30% of the vaccines delivered to the region have been administered, and they are seeking alternatives to increase the vaccination rate. However, immediate improvement seems difficult.

According to foreign media including the AP on the 5th (local time), California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a press conference that "only about 1% of California's 40 million residents have been vaccinated so far," and added, "We are working urgently and swiftly to expand vaccinations." The California Department of Public Health reported that approximately 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been supplied to California so far, but only about one-third of that, 454,000 doses, have been administered.

Governor Newsom explained, "Vaccination is slow due to a lack of distribution infrastructure such as personnel and facilities," and said, "We are expanding vaccination sites to pharmacies and individual physician clinics in various ways." Previously, California had been criticized for limiting vaccinations to hospitals and local health centers, making it difficult to increase the vaccination rate. The California state government announced plans to accelerate the vaccination pace and administer 2 to 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the 10th.

Different distribution systems by pharmaceutical companies are also cited as a cause of the slow increase in vaccination rates. Pfizer vaccines are directly transported to hospitals and local health centers, but Moderna vaccines are supplied through the pharmaceutical company McKesson as an intermediary, causing communication difficulties during the supply process.

Meanwhile, according to the vaccine administration tally by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the total number of vaccinations in the United States was 4,836,469 as of the 5th. This is still far below the U.S. government's initial goal of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of last year. Moncef Slaoui, the chief of the U.S. vaccine development project "Operation Warp Speed," previously stated on the 3rd that they are considering "reducing the Moderna vaccine dose per shot to half of the current amount to speed up the vaccination process.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.