California to Hand Over Vaccine Distribution Keys to Blue Shield on Monday

California is attempting to streamline how people receive coronavirus vaccines by transitioning the state to a single network managed by the Oakland-based health insurance company Blue Shield.

The move begins on March 1, when California will begin the process, which will unfold in several phases. By the end of March, the company will fully manage the state’s vaccine network.

Counties have expressed concerns that the transition will disrupt their current operations just as they are getting online. And they worry Blue Shield doesn’t have existing community relationships.

In a call with reporters, Paul Markovich, the company's CEO, asked Californians to “give us a chance to make this work.”

“I think there's been a lot of speculation of all the things that could potentially go wrong,” he said. “It's our job to get this to work, and work for everybody.”

San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and most Bay Area counties will join the network on March 7.

Another change: Counties will no longer have control over vaccine eligibility, which will be determined by the state beginning March 1. Officials say that anyone who is currently eligible will remain so.

Over time, health care providers and county clinics will be required to use, or connect into, My Turn, the state's tool that allows Californians to see if they're currently eligible for the vaccine and to sign up for notifications about eligibility and scheduling.

Health officials hope the move will give the state greater visibility into who is getting vaccinated and how to “better fine tune equity-focused allocation and outreach efforts,” according to a health department press release.

Officials say California will start the month with the capacity to administer 3 million vaccine doses each week, although supplies remain limited.

— Kevin Stark