San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Sunday that the city's two biggest mass inoculation sites would have to temporarily pause operations.
Dr. Steven Chen, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at USC’s School of Pharmacy, told KCBS Radio the supply issues are not just a California problem.
“I know people are frustrated, but there are many factors involved in this,” he said.
Dr. Chen explained that the manufacturers themselves have had trouble meeting their expected targets, though, by the end of March both Pfizer and Moderna have promised 100 million more doses each.
“So, I am very optimistic about Dr. Fauci’s comment about open season coming in April, meaning anyone who wants a vaccine can get one,” he said. "It’s very realistic.”
Part of that calculation, also relies on another vaccine hitting the market soon.
“That one-shot Johnson and Johnson [vaccine], for which the FDA is going to announce that decision on early use authorization on February 26,” he said.
Those doses will hopefully be available shortly after.
Dr. Chen said the race is on to try and vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible due to growing concern over the variants, though, at this point he said it is too late to contain them and vaccine manufacturers will have to adjust as they learn more about longterm efficacy.
“I think we should anticipate that we will likely have to deal with boosters down the line,” he said.
