More than five weeks into its vaccination program, California doesn’t have nearly the supply to meet demand and there’s growing angst among residents over the difficulty to even get in line for a shot. Social media is awash with people seeking or giving tips on how to maneuver the system.
State officials are frustrated the federal government hasn’t provided more doses. Local officials are upset that Gov. Gavin Newsom last week suddenly added the 4 million residents between ages 65 and 74 to what was supposed to be a shorter list of people first in line for shots, including health care workers and those in nursing care facilities.
Adding to the confusion is a hodgepodge of systems and differing requirements in the state’s 58 counties. For example, Los Angeles and Orange counties authorized mass vaccination sites like Dodger Stadium and Disneyland to give shots to those over 65, while San Francisco is relying largely on hospital systems to vaccinate only patients 75 and up.
Meanwhile, California says unemployment fraud is now north of 11 billion dollars. And on the flip side, there are many folks with legitimate claims who have had trouble getting through to the system.
We dive into the unique challenges facing the Golden State when it comes to rolling out these major programs.
We reached out to the California Department of Public Health, but did not immediately hear back about our interview request.
With files from the Associated Press.
GUESTS:
Dan Walters, long-time California politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication; he tweets @DanCALmatters
Nick Vyas, executive Director of USC’s Center for Global Supply Chain Management; he’s also the academic director for USC’s Masters of Science in Global Supply Chain Management
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