New operator for Cal Expo vaccine site means a pause for first-dose COVID appointments

The drive-through vaccine site at Cal Expo will temporarily be suspending new appointments for first doses of the coronavirus vaccine as the site transitions away from Sacramento County management to a private partner.

In a news release, county officials said that Sacramento County Public Health will begin transitioning operation of the site to Curative, a Southern California medical services start-up that has been operating testing and vaccination sites for the past year.

As management of the site shifts away from the county, appointments for first doses of the vaccine will be put on hold for several weeks in order to finish all currently pending second doses.

The transition will occur between March 22 and April 19, although county officials say Curative could begin scheduling more first dose appointments at Cal Expo “by early to mid-April.”

Curative also runs the vaccination site at McClellan Park, which will continue to offer scheduling for first dose appointments during the transition period.

“Our partnership with Curative at the McClellan Park drive-through vaccination site has worked out well,” Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said in a prepared statement. “The only difference the public will see at Cal Expo under Curative is a change to the registration site for a vaccination appointment.”

The county is stepping away from the Cal Expo site to “allow for the preparation of additional vaccination sites and operational needs in expectation of greater vaccine supply in the coming months.”

Given the current supply of doses, officials say the vaccination capacity at the site should remain the same, but with greater allocations on the horizon, operational capacity could expand at Cal Expo.

The nation’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines has remained flat this month due to shortfalls from Johnson & Johnson, but a surge in doses should arrive by late March or early April.