SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego County public health officials Friday reported a countywide vaccine shortage due to a delayed shipment of Moderna doses. Vaccination sites countywide will slow and, in some cases, pause, with appointments rescheduled. The shipment is expected now on Tuesday.
The pause will affect the region's largest vaccination site, the UC San Diego Health Petco Park Super Station, with no vaccinations taking place on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
This shortage affects about 12,000 people who had appointments at Petco Park Sunday through Tuesday. Their appointments will be rescheduled automatically through UCSD My Chart.
"We were sad to hear the news that our supply was not coming. So unfortunately for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday we will have to close Petco for vaccinations. These are all second doses. There are some first doses. And we are going to help them reschedule, to other locations," said Dr. Marlene Millen, UC San Diego Health.
This means vaccination sites county-wide will slow as many people will try and reschedule at other sites.
Second doses will remain the priority for vaccination sites.
County officials said the South County Super Station has supplies sufficient to get it through Monday as does the East County Super Station. The County PODs and North County Super Station in San Marcos have sufficient supplies to meet second dose appointments along with a limited supply of first doses.
For those who may experience a delay in second doses, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that people can wait up to 42 days between doses and still achieve maximum immunity.
The shortage of vaccines is San Diego mirrors an issue seen this week in Los Angeles County, where large-scale vaccine sites were limited to second- dose appointments only. The City of Los Angeles was forced to close its five vaccinations sites due to lack of supply, including the site at Dodger Stadium, considered one of the largest in the country.
San Diego County coronavirus inoculation sites have received 703,200 doses of vaccine and administered 550,707 doses as of Thursday evening, according to the county's Health and Human Services Agency.
A total of 15.5% of San Diegans age 16 and over have received at least one of the two shots required to develop antibody protection against the virus. Around 3.3% of the population over the age of 16 is fully vaccinated.
More information about the COVID-19 vaccine is available at vaccinationsuperstationsd.com.