California pins vaccine hopes on Biden administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California officials are pinning their hopes on President-elect Joe Biden as they struggle to obtain coronavirus vaccines to curb a coronavirus surge that has packed hospitals and morgues.
Doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been arriving haphazardly as they make their way from the federal government through the state and finally to counties, cities and hospitals.
San Francisco's public health department said it was likely to run out of vaccine on Thursday, in part because the state pulled back on administering a batch of Moderna shots after several health workers had a bad reaction.
The county health department received 12,000 doses last week but fewer than 2,000 doses this week, although local hospitals had their own supplies.
But Mayor London Breed said she was “ready to celebrate" when Biden takes office on Wednesday, believing there will be more support.
Los Angeles County, the nation's most populous with 10 million residents and a COVID-19 epicenter, had enough vaccine to “get through this week,” with an uncertain future supply, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director, said Tuesday.
Yet she added: “Tomorrow, the new federal administration takes over, and we expect our situation to improve greatly.”
Faith in Biden's promise to ramp up resources for vaccinations comes as California faces an unprecedented demand for mass vaccinations that shows no immediate sign of easing, although there are hopeful indicators that a much-feared surge-atop-a-surge from unsafe New Year's Eve gatherings won't be as bad as previously estimated.
Only a couple of weeks ago, it was feared some hospitals in Los Angeles and other hard-hit areas might have to begin rationing care as they ran out of surge capacity that was tapped when...
