Several million Californians qualified for the coveted COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, but limited supplies mean that they and some previously qualified residents may have difficulty making appointments anytime soon.
The state on Monday expanded the vaccine’s eligibility to homeless people, public transport workers and the largest category – people aged 16 to 64 “who are considered to be at the highest risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19”.
The list of “high-risk” conditions and deficiencies that qualify a person for the next vaccination phase includes cancer, pregnancy, stage 4 kidney disease, oxygen-dependent lung disease, Down syndrome, sickle cell disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes severe, type 2 diabetes and weakened immune system due to a solid organ transplant.
This latest phase of the vaccine’s launch in California adds 4 million to 6 million people to the current list of Californians eligible for the vaccine, bringing the total to 17 million to 19 million – or about half the state.
But, based on current allocation projections, it will take some time to meet this demand.
In Santa Clara County, for example, vaccination appointments available through the county’s health care system have been booked for more than a week. New appointments for the first dose could not be scheduled last week, nor will people be able to schedule them this week, according to a county spokesman.
The county cannot say when it expects to reopen first dose appointments, only that “it will depend on the supplies provided each week”.
San Mateo County this week will run four days of clinics exclusively for second dose consultations and offer limited first dose clinics for homeless and incarcerated individuals, along with targeted dissemination of the San Mateo Health Plan to its members and San Mateo Medical Center to other eligible patients.
A first-dose clinic scheduled for Saturday at the San Mateo County Events Center could vaccinate 2,300 people, with priority for essential occupations like teachers and traffic workers and some residents who qualify in the risk categories, according to the spokesman. Will Harper voice.
Sutter Health, which earlier this month had to cancel 95,000 second-dose vaccine appointments because of its shortage of supplies, is prioritizing rescheduled second-dose appointments to all those that have been canceled. Appointments for the first dose, including those considered high risk, have been largely put on hold for the time being.
“Where our supply or county allocations allow us to do this, we are open to new first dose appointments, but at this time, we are not yet widely open to new first dose appointments,” wrote a Sutter Health spokesman in a statement. communicated.
Kaiser Permanente, which is vaccinating members and non-members, announced on Monday that “as the offer allows”, it is starting to contact and offer appointments to members aged 16 to 64 who are at high risk of complications if they receive COVID -19 based on your medical history.
Meanwhile, in Contra Costa County, residents in high-risk groups appear to have a better chance than those in other places to make appointments.
Community health centers qualified by the federal government in Contra Costa, such as Lifelong Medical and La Clinica, received 14,000 doses of vaccines on Monday from the federal government. The authorities are reserving about 80% of consultations for the second doses and offering the remaining 20% for the first doses.
As of Monday, the county was scheduling appointments for a week away, but it still had thousands of vacancies, according to spokesman Scott Alonso.
“We want to emphasize that people interested in receiving the vaccine should apply anywhere and everywhere they can and not give up if it takes time,” said Alonso.
In addition to county health departments, qualified Californians can request vaccination appointments through their health care providers, local pharmacies, community clinics or the state’s My Turn website at myturn.ca.gov.
In the last phase, people are essentially being asked to obey a kind of honor system when they sign up for nominations.
The new state guidance released on Friday allows individuals with illnesses or disabilities to simply declare that they are eligible, without having to disclose their condition or present any type of evidence. While some have expressed concern that the system may be abused, disability advocates say it will eliminate additional burdens that can make it difficult for some people to access an appointment, especially those with intellectual disabilities.
Charise Hill, 34, of Sacramento, has advocated that state and local authorities prioritize people with high-risk conditions and disabilities for months. Hill, who uses the pronouns he / she, is diagnosed with axial spondyloarthritis – an inflammatory arthritis condition that is usually treated with drugs that suppress the immune system – and barely left home last year.
“I have a lot of mixed emotions,” Hill said in an interview on Monday. “It is exciting to finally be here, but it is also filled with remaining anger at the state for so long refusing to prioritize us as it should have done from the beginning.”
Using the state’s MyTurn website, Hill secured an appointment for the first dose on Thursday. Fearing that they could be turned down even though the state was allowing people to self-attest, Hill also obtained a letter from the doctor stating his eligibility.
“It was very confusing to navigate through all this, trying to find out when we really got on schedule, who is qualified and will I have to prove my disability in any way?” Hill said. “Our job does not end until everyone knows they are qualified and how to get an appointment.”