Due to receiving fewer vaccine doses than anticipated, Kaiser Permanente and a consortium of health care providers delayed the planned opening of the Stockton Arena mass vaccination hub until there is adequate supply to allow the hub to open and begin to deliver consistent vaccinations to meet the needs of the community.
Kaiser Permanente learned late Thursday the state did not receive enough vaccine supply to provide it for the Stockton hub at this time. Originally planned to open to the public on Tuesday, March 30, the mass vaccination hub’s opening is now paused pending the necessary vaccine supply.
The Stockton mass vaccination hub is operated by Kaiser Permanente and a consortium of health care partners. Vaccine is supplied for the hub by a separate allocation from the state.
Kaiser Permanente and the consortium are committed to opening the site as soon as vaccine supply is received and stand ready to open and begin administering vaccinations to the community.
“As someone who is a part of this community and is focused on the health of the people who live and work here, I am committed to ensuring as many people as possible, particularly our most vulnerable communities, are vaccinated as quickly as possible,” said Corwin Harper, senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente Central Valley Area. “We have some of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the state and are also among the lowest numbers of those vaccinated. I look forward to the day we can open this vaccination hub and accelerate the delivery of vaccine to our community, and we are ready to do so.”
Kaiser Permanente and the consortium partners remain committed to facilitating more access to COVID-19 vaccines in diverse communities by partnering with community health centers and trusted community organizations including safety net, social service and faith-based organizations to address the needs of the diverse communities in San Joaquin County, including Asian/Pacific Islander, Latinx, Black, veteran, LBGTQ and low-income communities.
“San Joaquin County Public Health and many of our county partners have been looking forward to the opening of this vaccine site with much anticipation,” said Dr. Maggie Park, San Joaquin County Public Health Officer. “Despite the delayed start date, we remain confident that this site will offer a huge boost to our vaccination efforts, and it will be especially crucial in light of the expanded vaccine eligibility criteria in April. I’m so thankful to have Kaiser Permanente and this group of health care providers in our community, and I look forward to their momentous opening day.”
The Stockton mass vaccination hub has the capacity to administer 5,400 doses per day, as vaccine supply allows. Across California, Kaiser Permanente has administered more than 2.4 million doses to Kaiser Permanente members, the general public, and populations served by Consortium hubs, and has the capacity to do much more – over a half million shots per week – if provided adequate supplies of vaccine.
The pause in the opening of the Stockton hub does not affect vaccinations at other locations operated by the consortium health care systems, including Kaiser Permanente, since the hub relies on a separate supply. However, all vaccine providers, Kaiser Permanente included, expect supply will continue to be a challenge in the coming weeks, pending an anticipated increase in the month of May.
When available, appointments at the mass vaccination hubs or other locations can be scheduled at California’s My Turn vaccine scheduling website, myturn.ca.gov. Individuals seeking appointments through My Turn are screened for eligibility under the California Department of Public Health’s vaccine administration guidelines.
The Consortium’s first two mass vaccination hubs – at Cal Poly Pomona in Los Angeles County and at Moscone Center in San Francisco – have administered more than 323,000 doses of vaccine to the general public and populations served by the Consortium partners since opening in early February, despite ongoing challenges with vaccine supplies. With an adequate supply of vaccine, the hubs have the capacity to have administered double that number of doses in that time.
