Oakland Coliseum Mass Vaccination Site Expected to Stay Open, Officials Say

Federal officials are confident that the East Bay's mass vaccination site at the Oakland Coliseum will stay open, but details of just how that will happen are still up in the air.

Vice President Kamala Harris told the San Francisco Chronicle that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will keep the site open.

At a separate press conference at the Oakland Coliseum, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla said officials on the federal, state and local level would “continue to work together to extend the life of this facility.”

The news comes as California is set to expand vaccine eligibility to any resident 16 and older, starting April 15, which officials have publicly said may spur high demand.

“We don’t have a final plan or commitment but, I think, the willingness of all parties to figure out how to go forward,” Padilla said. “We still have several days before Sunday arrives to figure it out”

The mass vaccination site is one of two set up in California by the federal government intended to help hard-hit communities. The eight-week program was set to end this Sunday.

Last week, state and local officials requested an extension of the program. After some back and forth, FEMA said it will provide resources to keep the site open. However, just where the vaccines will come from and who will oversee their distribution are still being negotiated.

Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan says while the site is necessary, the county is not ready to take responsibility for the project.

“Basically we’d like to keep it pretty much the way it’s been — at least for the next couple months while we’re ramping up the numbers,” she said.

Currently, the federal government provides the 42,000 shots the Coliseum site distributes each week. Alameda County itself only administers 30,000 vaccines each week.

— Kate Wolffe