California officials on Wednesday announced a major expansion of vaccination eligibility guidelines, allowing all residents 65 and older to qualify more quickly for COVID-19 vaccinations in response to new Trump administration guidelines aimed at accelerate the launch of vaccines across the country.
The measure signals a new urgency to increase access to the vaccine amid the increase in the number of cases. Orange County officials were the first to adopt the new rules on Tuesday.
“There is no higher priority than delivering these vaccines efficiently and equitably as quickly as possible to those facing the most serious consequences,” said Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. “Individuals aged 65 and over are now the next group eligible to start receiving vaccines. For those who are not yet qualified for vaccines, their time is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccines to the state ”.
California authorities have so far struggled to distribute their quota of vaccine doses. On Monday, California received more than 2.4 million doses of the vaccine, but less than a third was administered. There has been less than expected demand from health workers and nursing homes who have the highest priority for receiving vaccines, with up to 40% refusing the initial opportunity to be vaccinated.
In response, state officials expanded access last week to all healthcare professionals and relaxed guidelines for unused doses.
Newsom last week set an ambitious goal of vaccinating 1 million more people over the 10-day period ending January 17.
Before the state’s announcement in Los Angeles County, pop-up messages were added to the vaccine registration website warning people not to make an appointment unless they were eligible for it. Last week, LA County received more than 490,990 doses of vaccine, administering more than 145,620 first doses and more than 6,150 second doses.
The massive increase in COVID-19 cases in California has drawn attention to the handling of the state’s vaccine supplies. Los Angeles County is close to 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, meaning that 1 in 10 in the county was infected at some point during the pandemic. Across the state, more than 2.7 million Californians have tested positive.
Federal officials said the decision to open eligibility was an attempt to get states to take action faster. United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said on Tuesday that states simply moved too slowly and that the life-saving vaccine should be distributed immediately.
“This is the most effective way to save lives now,” said Azar, “and the heavy micromanagement of this process in some states has prevented the vaccine from reaching a wider range of the vulnerable population more quickly.”
Federal guidelines require that anyone aged 65 and over now qualifies for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. In addition, federal guidelines say that anyone aged 16 to 64 with a documented medical condition must also qualify now.
Azar said state regulations that limit who was eligible “hindered speed and access” to vaccines.
To pressure states to make vaccines more readily available, Azar said the federal government was warning two weeks in advance that future doses would be released to states based on the effectiveness with which each used their existing supplies.
“This gives states a strong incentive to ensure that doses work while protecting people, rather than being on shelves or in freezers,” said Azar. “With the count of cases that we face now, there is no time to lose.”
Federal pressure seems to have prompted state officials to reconsider their plans. Previously, the state planned to allow individuals in certain sectors of work, such as education and agriculture, along with adults aged 75 and over, to be vaccinated next, followed by individuals aged 65 to 74. According to the new guidelines, the state reduces the age limit to 65 years or more, raising this group to priority access.
The state, however, would wait until the next level to allow individuals aged 16 to 65 with medical conditions to be eligible for the vaccine.
State restrictions on who qualifies for the vaccine and when it was intended to guarantee limited supply were duly prioritized and that people were unable to buy their way to the front of the line. Newsom announced last week that the state would ease restrictions to ensure that the vaccine could be offered to people in other lower-level groups, such as teachers, day care centers and people over 75, if the vaccine is at risk of expiring.
The expansion of Wednesday’s eligibility presents significant challenges. California counties are struggling to find more health professionals who can administer the vaccines, large facilities where vaccines can be offered and more of the vaccines themselves.
In Santa Clara County, officials say they have been so successful in delivering the vaccine that they need more doses. The county asked the state for an additional 100,000 doses of vaccine, but was told this week it would receive 6,000, said Dr. Jeff Smith, a county executive. This will affect the county’s target, starting next week, of 35,000 weekly vaccinations, he said.
The shift in who is eligible has complicated the county’s plans for how to distribute vaccines.
“We are getting messy and inconsistent messages,” said Smith.
Some members of the state’s vaccine advisory committee expressed concern at a meeting on Tuesday that, with a focus on age, individuals who may face other vulnerabilities may be lost in the confusion. Others have raised concerns that individuals at risk, including essential workers, may be neglected as doors open to a larger group of eligible vaccine recipients.
“When you add this large group of people, you end up without enough vaccine,” Carol Green, of California State Parent Teachers Assn. said at the meeting.
Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.