Healthcare Workers Struggle To Book Appointments To Receive Second Dose Of COVID Vaccine
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A recent study found that California has the sixth-lowest rate of COVID-19 vaccine distribution at just 2.7 percent and now some healthcare workers say they're having a hard time getting their second dose.
Healthcare worker Sarah Jean Duprey was so relieved to get her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on January 4, but it wasn't easy to get.
"It took two days for me to navigate it and get an appointment and figure out how the website worked," Duprey said.
But when it came time to schedule her second dose, Duprey says she couldn't because by then the vaccine was also available to those 65 and older.
"Wednesday morning when I woke up, the site had crashed and when it came back up, it was chock-full. I mean it was just booked out," she said.
Duprey has underlying health issues.
"It does make me anxious. It makes me feel less safe just having the first dose," she said.
Doctor Oliver Brooks, who sits on the state's COVID vaccine advisory board, says the federal government has under-delivered what California was projected to receive.
"In California, we have about 6.2 million that are 65 and up. If 70 percent of them get the vaccine, you have four million getting it. You need double it so you need 8.6 million doses and right now we have about four million doses allocated and three million health care workers," he said.
Doctor Paul Simon with the L.A. County Health Department said starting next week, the county is prepared to dedicate some vaccination sites to the second dose only.
"There really isn't hard data to inform us on what the consequence might be of delaying that second dose, but it is believed that there is some protection, and there is data to indicate that there is some protection from just the first dose, it's just not clear how long that lasts," Simon said.
Mayor Eric Garcetti is now saying it will be summer before all of our seniors receive both doses. There were more long lines Friday at Dodger Stadium, Hansen Dam and the CSUN vaccination distribution sites. Cars lined up as far as the eye can see.
Brooks says the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine is expected to hit the market soon, and that will greatly increase out supply. Plus, it's a one-dose vaccine.
