San Francisco International Airport launched its onsite COVID-19 vaccination clinic in May, but officials said this week the clinic is living up to the airport's worldwide namesake.
Travelers from outside of the U.S. have booked 80% of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine appointments this week, according to airport officials. Over 1,000 international travelers from 58 countries have now been vaccinated at SFO.
"(This) so-called trend of 'vaccine tourism' is definitely becoming a thing at SFO," airport spokesman Doug Yakle told KCBS Radio on Wednesday in an interview.
Yakle said the airport is happy with the trend, calling it a win-win for SFO in an effort to increase air travel as the industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic and for local health providers to ensure doses of the vaccine don’t go to waste.
Vaccinations have stagnated in the U.S., including in the Bay Area, where rates are higher than most of the rest of the country. Despite accounting for about 4% of the world’s population, Americans account for 15% of the world’s vaccine doses. Visitors who might not have access to the vaccine in their home country are choosing the certainty of an airport appointment, Yakle said.
"It also helps stimulate visitor spending in our area, and at the end of the day, it gets more people around the world vaccinated, and I think that should really be the ultimate goal for all of us," he said.
Unvaccinated adults who aren't showing signs of symptoms can sign up for appointments on Mondays through Fridays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with plenty of appointments available throughout August.
Although international travelers account for the bulk of recent sign-ups, unvaccinated local residents can still put their name down for a shot. Yakle told KCBS Radio that SFO has already vaccinated over 25,000 Bay Area residents, and the airport expects to surpass 30,000 total doses administered by the end of this week.
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