SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The Del Mar Fairgrounds vaccination super station will be forced to close for a third straight weekend due to a shortfall in delivered COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The vaccination site will be closed Wednesday, April 14; Friday, April 16; Saturday, April 17; and Sunday, April 18 because of the low number of doses delivered to Scripps Health last week, according to the health care system.
Scripps Health says that patients who had appointments scheduled for these days will automatically be rescheduled through the MyTurn appointment system.
In response, San Diego County spokesperson Michael Workman told ABC 10News, "While supply seemed to be picking up, it's not enough to provide every site with what they want."
The county does send larger allocations of the vaccines to harder-hit areas like the South Bay. Workman added that on two occasions when Scripps announced the emergency closures, the county offered more vaccines. But Scripps declined.
Scripps spokesperson Stephen Carpowich followed up, saying they did receive two last-minute offers on Monday. But the county required the shots be used within 24 hours, and Scripps needed more than that to handle scheduling logistics on the state’s online MyTurn appointment system.
"The constraints involved with needing to use the MyTurn system, along with the lack of a reliable and timely supply of vaccines, have been ongoing challenges," Carpowich said.
The site closure comes as California opens vaccine eligibility to all adults 16 and older. That move was made by the state under the guidance that the supply of vaccine doses would continue to increase in the months ahead.
The Del Mar site is not a walk-up site and appointments are required.
For information on making a vaccination appointment through the county, visit the county's website.
