Santa Clara County Declines CA's Blue Shield-Run Vaccine Program

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County will not participate in the state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution system run by Blue Shield, instead opting to keep its own vaccine appointment system.

County Executive Jeff Smith said during a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday that the county will not sign an agreement with Blue Shield, which California had selected as a third party to run vaccinations statewide. The Mercury News first reported the news on Monday.

A slide presented by Smith during the board meeting stated that switching to a third party administrator would be a "risk to the health and welfare of residents in Santa Clara County" — adding another layer of administration, receiving no increase in allocation of doses and forcing the county to use a new appointment and access system. Also, Smith said that the decision would mean a private insurance company would receive personal information of those who were vaccinated.

Another factor, Smith added, was the potential elimination of a locally-controlled distribution network, which he said would jeopardize equity efforts and prioritize statewide needs over local needs.

Out of the state’s 58 counties, only Kern County has signed up for the Blue Shield-run program so far.

During a news briefing last week, Dr. Sara Cody, the county’s public health officer, said that the county’s current vaccination system was doing well when asked about Blue Shield potentially taking over.

“In Santa Clara County, we feel that we are beginning to hit our stride,” Cody said. “We are able to reach the people we need to reach to the best of our ability. We have developed partnerships with many, and right now the system as we have it is working fairly well.”

So far, over 607,000 doses have been administered in the county, with the county’s health system responsible for more than half of shots given. County officials have repeatedly stressed that the biggest issue the county faces is vaccine supply and that it has the capacity to administer more vaccines.

It is unclear what will happen to counties that decline the Blue Shield partnership. In neighboring San Mateo County, officials have not yet decided on whether to join. During a Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Louise Rogers, the health chief, said the county was weighing the option.

“We are evaluating that proposed agreement as well as working closely with counsel to understand the positions of other counties,” Rogers said. “We are looking at the risks of not participating, as well as the concerns of participating. Our goal is to assure the maximum supply of vaccine to this county and to keep the pace of work moving forward, without disruption of the vaccine effort locally.”