Bay Area Health Officers: Best COVID-19 Vaccine Is 'One You Can Get The Soonest'
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – As some debate the differences between the approved COVID-19 vaccines, health officials across the Bay Area gave their endorsement of all three shots, saying the vaccines are highly effective.
"With COVID-19 continuing to circulate as we work toward community immunity, our collective medical advice is this: the best vaccine is the one you can get the soonest," said a statement co-signed by health officers in all nine Bay Area counties and the City of Berkeley, which operates its own health department.
The health officers said the shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have been shown to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic illness and hospitalization from the virus. Clinical trials demonstrated the three vaccines have been 100% effective in preventing deaths from COVID-19, the officials said.
According to a CBS News FAQ on the vaccines, the shots from Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA technology and require two doses. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson took a different approach by developing a "viral vector" vaccine, which only requires one shot.
While acknowledging the vaccines were not studied in head-to-head comparisons, the officials went on to say "all three vaccines provide levels of protection that are comparable to some of the best vaccines we have for other serious infectious diseases for which we routinely vaccinate people."
For Bay Area health officials, shortages amid overwhelming demand continues to be the main issue during the vaccine rollout.
"Today, the main limitation is that we just don't have enough supply," Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health said last week.
Meanwhile in Santa Clara County, health officials there stopped offering appointments for first doses last week, due to a lack of supply from the state. As of Monday, appointments for first shots continued to be unavailable on the county's http://sccfreevax.org/ website.
Anyone with questions about the vaccines are asked to contact their medical provider or visit the state's COVID-19 website. People can sign up for their shot or be notified when they are eligible by visiting http://myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255.
