California vaccine eligibility expands on March 15, but MyTurn does not allow you to apply

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – As of Monday, March 15, vaccine eligibility is expanding enormously in California to include an additional 4.4 million people. That’s because this next phase in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine allows people with serious underlying health problems to get the vaccine.

This applies to you if you are between 16 and 64 years old and have one of the following conditions:

• Cancer
• Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or higher
• Chronic lung disease
• Down’s syndrome
• Immunocompromised state due to organ transplantation
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell anemia
• Cardiac conditions (heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; excludes hypertension)
• Severe obesity
• Type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Other developmental or high-risk deficiencies that place an individual at particularly high risk

That last point makes things a little confusing. Essentially, any individual whose health is considered “at risk” by a healthcare provider can qualify.

Some call it a loophole, but San Francisco’s Director of Health, Dr. Grant Colfax, said it was intentional.

“If your healthcare provider is saying that you are eligible for a vaccine, for the most part we will be in compliance with that order,” said Colfax. “The point is that we want low barrier access to vaccines. We don’t want to create a lot of bureaucracy, too many forms.”

But the bureaucracy is already getting in the way. As of Friday afternoon, people with high-risk conditions were still unable to make an appointment for Monday or any later day on the MyTurn website. “It will soon be your turn, but you are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine at the moment,” says the website.

We asked the California Department of Public Health when these consultations would be available online. A spokesman replied, “This availability will be available until the 15th,” but did not offer a specific date or time.

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It can be difficult to make appointments until the supply of vaccines really starts to increase.

“We don’t expect any dramatic increases in the coming weeks,” said Mike Wasserman, who is on the California vaccine advisory committee. “But I am optimistic about what we are hearing from the Biden government. I certainly hope that we will see an increase in April.”

President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he would advise states to make everyone, regardless of age, occupation or level of risk, eligible for the vaccine by May 1.