The COVID-19 vaccination site at the Oakland Coliseum will remain open in the coming weeks and will be operated by Alameda and Contra Costa counties instead of state and federal agencies, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.
The state’s Office of Emergency Services and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency opened the drive-thru vaccination site in February as part of a federal effort to establish 100 large-scale vaccination sites nationwide in President Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office.
The two counties will jointly operate the site once state and federal emergency management personnel leave in roughly four weeks.
The site is expected to be able to administer up to 6,000 vaccine doses per day once the two counties take over. The state will contribute half the supply of doses required to operate the site while the two counties will contribute the other half.
“The only change is that we’re not going to get the direct allocation of vaccines from the federal government, that’s the only change,” Newsom said Tuesday during a briefing at a San Francisco vaccination site. “Otherwise there’ll be no perceptible change in a meaningful way to the public.”
The site was on track to close April 11, but local, state and federal officials in recent weeks called for an extension of vaccinations at the Coliseum, particularly as more supply becomes available and more groups of people become eligible.
Officials in both counties praised the extension of the vaccination site, arguing that it will be an important resource in ensuring enough residents in both counties get vaccinated.
“The Coliseum site has already delivered more than 100,000 doses to Alameda County residents, and this extension will allow us to complete transition feasibility planning without disrupting service to the community,” Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chair Keith Carson said in a statement. “Having a mix of large vaccination sites, alongside smaller community sites and mobile pop-ups, is critical for our vaccination infrastructure and meeting our goals for equitable distribution.”
Vaccine appointments at the Coliseum can be made through the state’s My Turn scheduling tool HERE or by calling (833) 422-4255.