Four Bay Area counties are now vaccinating people aged 16 and up.
But being eligible for a vaccine and finding an open appointment are two different things.
Santa Clara and San Francisco have joined Alameda and Contra Costa counties in welcoming the age group to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. It’s a slight head start on the rest of California, which expands eligibility to all residents 16 and up beginning Thursday.
In San Francisco, Supervisor Matt Haney told KCBS Radio that some days shots are available and other days they’re simply not.
"We’re expecting to get a lot more doses which will be Moderna and Pfizer, not Johnson & Johnson," he said. "The last few days we’ve actually had very widely available appointments at the Oakland Coliseum and Moscone (Center). Today things are different and so, you know, sometimes it’s day to day."
The pause with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not expected to impact San Francisco's allocation in a big way, he added.
"Even though we’re expanding to everyone 16 and older, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be easier to get an appointment," Haney said. "But what I’ve seen as somebody who has tracked this very closely, is that even for a day or two there are none available, but then for a few days there’s very widely available."
For example, the CVS website on Wednesday morning lists available appointments in Concord, Brentwood, Pleasanton, Sonoma, Capitola and Rohnert Park.
Just Tuesday night, the closest opening was in Stockton.
So, it’s all about timing and changes very fast.
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