California expands COVID vaccine access to those 65 and older

Federal government expands COVID vaccine eligibility

The federal government on Tuesday signaled a shift in its COVID vaccination plan. They are now recommending that all doses be released and that everyone 65 and older get the shot along with adults with some pre-existing conditions.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California is immediately allowing residents 65 and older to get scarce coronavirus vaccines.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement Wednesday puts seniors in line before emergency workers, teachers, childcare providers and food and agriculture workers even as counties complain they already don’t have enough doses to go around.

"There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state."

While health care workers and those in nursing homes and other congregate living facilities can still be vaccinated, state officials are expanding to those 65 and up because they are at the greatest risk of being hospitalized and dying.California has seen virus cases and hospitalizations explode since Thanksgiving, though in recent days the numbers have flattened.

"With our hospitals crowded and ICUs full, we need to focus on vaccinating Californians who are at highest risk of becoming hospitalized to alleviate stress on our health care facilities," said Dr. Tomás Aragón, director of the California Department of Public Health and the state's Public Health Officer. "Prioritizing individuals age 65 and older will reduce hospitalizations and save lives."

The moves follows recommendations Tuesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it comes after members of a state advisory panel on Tuesday worried that adding seniors will inevitably delay vaccines for others.

Anthony Wright, executive director of the consumer health care advocacy group Health Access California, said he generally favored moving toward vaccinating older residents, the group most likely to be hospitalized and die of the coronavirus. But he was among those who said the expansion could further strain the state’s already delayed rollout of scarce vaccines.

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"This is a very tough conversation about trade-offs," he said.

Adding the aging "does not mean we’re abandoning our commitment" to those already in line for vaccines, the panel’s co-chairwoman, California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris said later. "We are working together to solve multiple challenges at the same time."

The announcement comes as a surprise for counties already struggling to keep up with the demand for vaccinations.

Just this week, San Mateo County opened a drive-through vaccination site. Santa Clara County recently announced it was expanding vaccinations to those ages 75 and up, not 65.

Still, officials said they are doing their best to adapt to policies that keep changing.

Newsom also announced a new system to let people know if they are eligible to receive a vaccine, to start next week.

If residents are not yet eligible, the system will allow them to register for a text or email notification when they are.

A "second phase" of that system will help counties and cities that have begun mass inoculation centers at sports stadiums and fairgrounds by allowing eligible members of the public to schedule their appointments at mass vaccination events.

Newsom set a goal last week of delivering 1 million doses by Friday, beyond the roughly 480,000 that had been administered by last week.

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