Health

Blue Shield CEO: Vaccinations Have Slowed In California

By Jade Hindmon / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer , Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer of Audio News

Published May 7, 2021 at 9:22 AM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

In this April 8, 2015, file photo, is the headquarters building of Blue Shield of California in San Francisco.

Blue Shield CEO: Vaccination Has Slowed Statewide

Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California, joined Midday Edition on Friday to talk about the hurdles the state must overcome to reach herd immunity and slow the spread of coronavirus.

San Diego County has reached another milestone — 3 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered, with 44% of the county’s residents fully vaccinated compared to 42% statewide.

That's good news. But as vaccination rates slow across the state, the question everyone is asking is how to get more residents vaccinated.

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The state has contracted with Blue Shield of California to help it distribute vaccines to hospitals and clinics. Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California, told KPBS Midday Edition that the number of vaccinations per week in the state are declining noticeably.

"We're getting to the point where the people who are left to vaccinate are probably harder to reach and are having a little more difficult time getting over the concern about whether to get vaccinated," he said.

Markovich joined Midday Edition on Friday to talk about the hurdles the state must overcome to reach herd immunity and slow the spread of coronavirus.

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Jade Hindmon

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Jade Hindmon is the host of KPBS Midday Edition. She connects San Diego through fearless conversations that inform, inspire and make you think. Prior to Midday Edition Jade was a reporter and fill-in anchor in the KPBS newsroom covering everything from politics to policing and the economy. Her award winning work spans network affiliates across the southeast and midwest. As a very proud Rattler, Jade studied broadcast journalism and political science at Florida A&M University. She takes a special interest in topics about democracy, accountability, racial justice, science and wellness.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer of Audio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

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