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California to get better timeline on when COVID-19 vaccines are coming

Newsom: CA counties should get early notice of vaccine shipments
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Governor Gavin Newsom says the state is supposed to get a better timeline on when the next batch of vaccines will arrive.

Counties are expected to start getting a three-week notice to allow them to schedule more appointments.

President Biden vowing to give states a better heads up on when more shots are coming their way.

“We have a three-week window in terms of visibility on vaccinations,” said Newsom. “That’s what the Biden administration is providing the state. That’s what we are, in turn, providing to the counties.”

Newsom added they’ll have more specifics on how that process will work once they formalize vaccination contracts with Kaiser and Blue Shield next week. Until then, residents like 66-year-old Torrie Norton are struggling to book appointments.

“I feel myself getting anxious,” said Norton. “Like, going on to that website, three, four times a day. Are they going to release them? The only days that are calendared for any available appointments are today and tomorrow.”

She and her husband received their first doses at the South Bay Super Station on Jan. 25. She says after their shots they were given conflicting information on what to do next.

“This one has been nothing but confusion,” said Norton. “So, I don’t know if I need my dose on Feb. 18 like the nurse said or if it’s Feb. 22 like the back of my COVID-19 vaccination record card says.”

Sharp Healthcare tells ABC 10News they received a large shipment of doses this week and are now opening appointment slots for this weekend. They say they don’t make appointments available until they physically have the doses in hand to avoid canceling on patients.

We asked the county if getting more notice about vaccine shipments will affect their appointment process. They say they can’t provide specifics on that just yet.