San Diego will phase out some of its county-run vaccination sites due to a significant drop in demand for COVID-19 vaccines, officials said Friday.
While some county vaccination sites have closed or will be closing at the end of this month, there are still options for people who have not been vaccinated, said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer.
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As expected, "demand for COVID-19 vaccines has waned significantly," Wooten said. "Throughout the pandemic, the county has focused on equity and has been reaching out to communities and populations that have vaccine hesitancy."
The last of the remaining vaccination super stations are also ending operations over the next few days. The one in Chula Vista operated by Sharp HealthCare will stop administering doses on Saturday and the site run by Scripps Health at the Del Mar Fairgrounds closes to the public on Tuesday.
"The more people who get vaccinated, the better chance we have at ending this pandemic locally," Wooten said.
Some at the Chula Vista super station Friday said they were a little hesitant about getting vaccinated.
“I just waited just because I figured I’m young — I’ll take my chances initially,” said Anthony Stewart, who is from Oakland but staying in National City for a work project. “Then I got a little bit of vaccine FOMO (fear of missing out). People are going out and I don't want to have any restrictions on where I can’t go.”
Veronica Carranza from Chula Vista said she was worried about possible side effects, but completed her second dose on Friday.
“I knew that everybody was doing it (getting vaccinated),” Carranza said. “Before I was unsure but after that I got pretty comfortable because my sister did it too.”
The vaccine continues to be available at more than 400 locations, including doctors' offices, pharmacies and county clinics throughout the region.
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Some vaccination sites will continue to offer extended hours to make it easier for San Diegans to get immunized, according to county officials, who said it has reached the federal goal to vaccinate residents 12 and older, or nearly 1.97 million people, with at least one dose. More than 2.16 million San Diegans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, while more than 1.83 million are fully vaccinated.
Local municipalities, Champions for Health, UC San Diego Health, San Diego American Indian Health Center and the San Diego Black Nurses Association will handle requests for mobile vaccination events.
Organizations that want to host a vaccination event may do so online.
A complete list of county testing and vaccination locations is available online.
