California will begin distributing 40% of all doses of vaccine to the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the state to inoculate those most at risk of contracting the coronavirus in the latest overhaul of the state’s rules, the state announced on Thursday.
Those with priority in the new system live in CEPs that fall into the lowest quartile of the state’s Healthy Places Index, which measures socioeconomic opportunities. Areas are considered more vulnerable based on metrics such as family income, education level and access to health care. Although race and ethnicity are not explicit factors, CEPs strongly overlap neighborhoods inhabited by larger populations of black, Latino and Asian residents and Pacific Islanders.
Within these areas, there are about 8 million people eligible for the injection. Many of the neighborhoods are in Los Angeles County and the Central Valley, which have the highest rates of infection.
Ten Bay Area postcodes are on the list, with three in Alameda County, one in Contra Costa, two in San Francisco and four in Solano County.
Alameda County
Fruitvale, Oakland: 94601
East Oakland: 94621
East Oakland: 94603
Contra Costa
Richmond: 94801
San Francisco
Tenderloin: 94102
Treasure Island: 94130
Solano
Vallejo: 94590
Fairfield: 94535
Bird landing: 94512
Elmira: 95625
At a news conference on Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom said that not only was the move the right thing to do, but it was also critical to opening up the state’s economy more.
“It is a race against variants. It is a race against exhaustion. It is a race to open our economy in a safe and careful way, aware that it must be an economy that does not leave people behind, that is truly inclusive, ”said Newsom. He also encouraged people to wear two masks.
The announcement is the latest change in an evolving approach to vaccinating nearly 40 million California residents, adding to the confusion among people calling for injections. The move to facilitate the reopening also comes days after several Republican-led states lifted restrictions on COVID-19, as the United States now has three vaccines available.
The reopening of the vaccination equality metrics was applauded by representatives of the black and Latin legislative groups, as well as by social justice and equality groups. Latinos account for about half of the cases and deaths in California, although they are 39% of the population.
Reserving 40% of the vaccine supply essentially means that the most affected postal codes will administer twice the doses compared to what is currently available. The data show that, of the injections given, only about 17% were administered in vulnerable communities that were disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.