- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Lake County officials deal with continuing vaccination challenges, problems with MyTurn scheduling app
Last week, severe winter weather in the Eastern United States delayed shipments of the vaccine to Lake County, which led to the cancellation of clinics, as Lake County News has reported.
However, the anticipated shipments arrived on Monday, allowing the drive-thru clinics at Lakeport Auto Movies and Clearlake’s Redbud Park to resume.
Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the Board of Supervisors this week that the drive-thru clinic format is working really well and he thinks that will be the model moving forward.
Pace said Public Health shared the vaccine with numerous community partners – the two hospitals, Lakeview Health Center, North Lake Pharmacy and Safeway Pharmacy.
Local and state officials reported that 10,879 Lake County residents have so far been vaccinated, which amounts to 16 percent of the population. Of that total, 8,200 people have received at least one dose and 2,600 have received both doses.
Statewide, 7.7 million doses have been administered, according to the California Department of Public Health. That accounts for 19 percent of the state’s population.
Pace said more of the Pfizer vaccine is coming, and a new one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is expected to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday. That vaccine, he added, is ready to ship.
A concern for Pace is the state’s plan to have Blue Shield act as the third party administrator overseeing California’s vaccine rollout.
“This is kind of a big deal and we’re not even exactly sure what all it means for us,” he said.
Pace suggested that it may mean that it will be harder on the local level to be flexible and provide for Lake County’s specific needs.
He said he met with state officials last week and voiced concerns, and they nodded their heads and said they’re paying attention and are concerned. “I’m a little bit worried that they’re not going to deliver on that as it comes.”
Board of Supervisors Chair Bruno Sabatier said he shared Pace’s concerns about Blue Shield, noting members of the California State Association of Counties also are against the plan to have the company oversee the vaccine effort. He said Blue Shield is not in this community.
MyTurn schedule app causes problems
On Jan. 26, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the rollout of the MyTurn app, which allows users to sign up for vaccination appointments or to be notified when they become eligible.
Pace said Public Health used MyTurn last week for scheduling appointments. It resulted in problems that led Public Health to shut down its use, although he said they may have to try using it again in the near future.
The main problem with the app, Pace said, is that it doesn’t screen out people from out of the county. Bay Area residents who were unable to get appointments there used the app to find the closest appointments and ended up with appointments in Lake County.
“We had to turn away a bunch of people last Tuesday and it was a pretty unpleasant situation for everybody involved,” Pace said.
Among those who were allowed to be vaccinated were people who have second residences in Lake County. The ones with no connection to the county were turned away. “There were a lot of unhappy people, Pace said.
He said it’s important to try to reserve Lake County’s limited amount of vaccine for the most vulnerable members of the community who need it, adding he appreciated Public Health staff who stepped up.
Pace said it looks like the state may open the doors and allow people to go anywhere to get vaccinations.
Earlier this week, officials in Kings County reported similar issues with MyTurn scheduling out-of-county residents for COVID-19 vaccinations there, which also resulted in people being turned away, according to media reports.
Like Lake County, Kings County officials reported they were stopping use of the app temporarily while the problems were addressed.
On Wednesday, Lake County News called and emailed the California Department of Public Health to ask about the MyTurn app and the problems Lake County had, as well as to inquire about similar problems elsewhere and if there are plans to fix the app.
The agency did not respond.
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