SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) – After expanding COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to those 50+ last week, Solano County reports it is experiencing a steep decline in vaccines and is urging the state to send more.
“The state has reduced our allotment quite considerably and we just are not receiving enough vaccine to do first dose clinics as we have been,” Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Maytas said.
In a statement, the county said its vaccine allocation from the state has been the third-lowest allocation per 1,000 residents of all 58 California counties.
“We have tremendous diversity, we are the poorest of the counties in the Bay Area, we have tremendous inequity, we have four of the poorest counties, so how can we be so clearly impact by inequity and yet nearly at the bottom of the list of allocation it makes no sense whatsoever,” Dr. Maytas said.
To date, Solano County has administered 134,000 vaccines, with the new allocations of available doses dropping by 60%.
“We want to continue getting these critically needed vaccines in people’s arms,” says John M. Vasquez, District 4 Supervisor and Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “We have the partnerships, infrastructure and demand, we just don’t have the vaccine that we need. My colleagues and I on the Board of Supervisors will be making phone calls and sending a letter to the Governor’s Office and our elected representatives, urging them to help us secure more vaccine.”
Solano County is receiving substantially less vaccine allocation than all other similar-sized counties, many of which have higher median household incomes, officials said.