Kaiser Permanente continues to vaccinate our members and the public against COVID-19 and we’ve now administered more than 3.2 million vaccine doses in California. The fight against this disease will be won by getting more vaccine doses to more people, and everyone 16 and older will become eligible to get the shot on April 15.
While we have capacity in California to deliver 720,000 vaccine doses per week, our current vaccine supply allows us to deliver just 500,000 doses — or 69% of our capacity — each week. As a result, we want you to know that not everyone will be able to make an appointment right away. This is frustrating for all of us. We appreciate your continued patience as we vaccinate people as quickly as we can.
The increase in eligibility will also increase demand for the vaccine to an all-time high. At the same time, the vaccine supply is decreasing significantly because of reductions in vaccine availability and federal allocations to the state. California will get approximately 20% fewer vaccine doses in the coming weeks. This means Kaiser Permanente will continue to have a limited number of vaccine appointments in April.
We look forward to receiving enough supply to vaccinate everyone who requests an appointment. If vaccine supply increases in May, we’ll be able to open more appointments and vaccinate everyone even sooner.How to get a COVID-19 vaccinationWe recommend that all who are eligible get vaccinated as soon as they can. All of the available vaccines are safe, effective, and lifesaving.
Here are some ways to sign up for a vaccine:
- Request an appointment at Kaiser Permanente on kp.org/covidvaccine. We’ll continue to add appointment availability as we receive more vaccine supply. We kindly ask that you don’t email your doctor for an appointment as they can’t book vaccine appointments for you. Individuals who don’t have access to kp.org may call 1-866-454-8855 (northern California) or 1-833-KP4-CARE or 1-833-574-2273 (southern California) for assistance. Please note that we are currently experiencing high call volumes and you may experience longer than normal wait times.
- Find an appointment on myturn.ca.gov. People can look for available vaccination appointments at many locations in their area, including mass vaccination hubs and other authorized vaccine administrators.
- Go to your neighborhood pharmacy. Vaccines are also available at many local pharmacies at no cost.
We’re in this together
Whether you’ve already been vaccinated or you’re now eligible, let’s continue doing our part to protect each other. Keep wearing your mask. Physically distance. Wash your hands regularly. And encourage others to get vaccinated as soon as they can.
For more information on the vaccine, visit kp.org/covidvaccine. You can also call our 24/7 KP COVID Vaccine InfoLine at 1-855-550-0951 (available in English and Spanish) for regular recorded updates.
Sincerely,
Kaiser Permanente
