At St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Tehama County, fewer than half of the 700 hospital workers eligible for the vaccine were willing to take the shot when it was first offered. At Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, one in five front-line nurses and doctors have declined the shot. Roughly 20% to 40% of the L.A. County’s front-line workers who were offered the vaccine did the same, according to county public health officials.

So many front-line workers in Riverside County have refused the vaccine — an estimated 50% — that hospital and public officials met to strategize how best to distribute the unused doses, Public Health Director Kim Saruwatari said.