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Vaccine-strapped Santa Clara County canceling appointments for Kaiser Permanente members

By Aja Seldon
Published  March 11, 2021 1:33pm PST
Coronavirus Vaccine
KTVU FOX 2

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - Santa Clara County is sending out notices to Kaiser Permanente members informing them that their upcoming vaccine appointment at county-run sites are canceled, partly due to insufficient supply and changes to state rules. 

California recently changed its vaccine distribution process, and vaccines for Kaiser members have been sent directly to the healthcare provider. Those vaccines cannot be transferred from Kaiser to the Santa Clara County Health System, as it was done previously, according to the emailed notice sent on Wednesday and obtained by KTVU. 

The Santa Clara County Health System already has a tight vaccine supply and was forced to stop scheduling first dose appointments to conserve inventory for second dose patients, Mercury News reports. Covering Kaiser members would be a stretch for the vaccine-strapped county health system. 

County health officials said Kaiser will contact its members within the next 48 hours to schedule a priority appointment through them. Those who don't hear from the health provider should contact member services