A new phase in the effort to vaccinate Los Angeles County begins on Monday, when more than 1 million people become eligible for vaccines and there are hopes that more vaccines will be available across California.
Missing doses has been a critical issue for the past two months, limiting who can get them.
Here’s what we know:
Where are we with the vaccines?
The county expects 269,000 doses to be distributed at vaccination sites in LA County this week, against 211,000 doses distributed last week. Of the new 269,000 doses, 103,000 will be reserved for the first doses.
California administered 8.2 million doses of vaccines, Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday, with the state receiving an average of about 1.4 million doses per week. Soon, the goal will be to administer 2.7 million doses per week and, eventually, 4 million doses per week.
The state received 1.46 million doses last week; this week, 1.58 million doses are expected, and the following week, 1.63 million doses are coming, Newsom said.
The governor offered an optimistic outlook for the coming weeks, considering how dire the situation was in California two months ago, when the state was ordering thousands of body bags. He also thanked the Californians for adhering to the rules for wearing masks, practicing physical distance and canceling social gatherings.
Who is now eligible in LA County?
Nursery, emergency services and food and agriculture teachers and staff will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination in Los Angeles County starting on Monday, although officials warn that the pace will be slowed by limited supplies.
Nearly 1.2 million people fall into these recently approved categories, according to county estimates. They will join some 2.2 million LA county residents who are already eligible to be vaccinated – those who work in healthcare, live in long-term care facilities or are 65 or older.
Newly qualified residents will be able to make appointments at city-run vaccination sites starting on Monday, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, but only a small number of appointments for the first dose will be available this week at Pierce College.
Where are the doses going?
The 70,000 doses of Moderna vaccine that the city hopes to receive on Monday will go mainly to its six mass vaccination sites, which are open from Tuesday to Saturday, to be administered as a second dose, said Garcetti’s office. Consultations for the second injection were being automatically scheduled for people who received the first dose at a location administered by the city between February 1st and 6th.
Another 7,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, expected on Monday, will be delivered as first doses through the city’s mobile vaccination program, which aims to deliver vaccines directly to the worst-hit neighborhoods, officials said.
The program is set to triple the number of doses administered this week, from 4,000 to 12,000, through clinics offering first doses in Baldwin Hills, South Park, Highland Park, Panorama City, Westlake and Pacoima and clinics offering second doses in Baldwin Hills, South Park and Vermont Vista, the city said.
Where are the other areas?
Los Angele County joins other parts of California in expanding access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Long Beach, which has its own health department and receives its own vaccine supply, began vaccinating food workers and educators in January at industry-specific clinics. More than 3,000 restaurant workers, market officials, cooks and other food industry workers are due to be vaccinated on Friday at a clinic at the Long Beach Convention Center, the city said.
In San Francisco, education, daycare and food and agriculture workers were eligible to receive vaccines starting last week, Friday.
Orange County last week began allocating doses to workers in education, daycare and food and agriculture, saying it would dedicate 30% of its allocation to workers in those sectors, as well as to emergency services; the remaining 70% goes to residents aged 65 and over. Seniors and first responders working in high-risk communities can be vaccinated since mid-January.
What is the next wave of eligibility?
California says that from March 15, people aged 16 to 64 who are disabled or at high risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 will be eligible for vaccination.
Officials estimate that the move will make 4 million to 6 million people eligible, bringing the total number of eligible Californians to 17 million to 19 million, or about half the state.
The underlying conditions stated in the most recent guidelines include cancer, chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or higher, chronic lung disease, Down syndrome, immunocompromised immune system by solid organ transplantation, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies (excluding hypertension), severe obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The state also broadly defined eligible individuals as those who are likely to develop a life-threatening illness or death from a COVID-19 infection or have limited ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their survival.
Times staff writers Colleen Shalby and Sonja Sharp contributed to this report.