SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) In San Francisco s Bayview District, it should come as no surprise how good news spreads word of mouth and a bit of social networking. It led to a long line of people social distancing at a coronavirus vaccine drop-in clinic on Keith Street. I had been so worried, said Brenda Cook.
It is a bit of an experiment for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, based on facts and necessity. The city inoculated, here, based on zip codes and being age 65 or older.
The Bayview is one of San Francisco s hardest hit neighborhoods. Infection rates stand at roughly 10 percent.
Though, that is not their intent for the site. We re urging everybody to make appointments, not to hang out, said Fernandez.
It s the first of three mass vaccination sites in the city.
In total, Fernandez said 540 people were vaccinated on Friday, day one of the site s operation. She said their goal is to vaccinate 600 people per day there.
On Saturday, the word was out that extra doses might be available for people who are eligible, but had been unsuccessful securing a coveted appointment online. A nurse came forward and said if they have extra doses at the end of the day, they are happy to vaccinate people 75 and older even if they don t have an appointment, said a woman who only wanted to be identified as Chris.
It s a vaccine distribution proposal that has caught the attention of thousands of people. We can set up 30 volunteers at each High School parking lot and give the vaccines to 10,000 people a day. We can vaccinate the entire country in 30 to 45 days, said David Friedberg, Tech investor & entrepreneur
In the last 24 hours since our story, Governor Newsom announced:
Santa Clara s Levi s Stadium, Oakland Coliseum, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Petco Park in San Diego and Cal Expo in Sacramento will become mass vaccination sites. Even Disneyland is opening its doors to help.
But, what s the plan in San Francisco? We connected David Friedberg and San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney who s calling for a hearing with public health officials to explain the strategy to expand vaccination efforts.