The countdown has started.
California announced on Thursday that all adults will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine starting April 15, generating an immediate flood of phone calls, requests for appointments and people trying to secure their seats in the queue.
But the two-week window before MMA starts marks a critical point in the launch of the vaccine in the state – particularly for people between 50 and 64, who qualify on April 1. A patchwork of rules, uncertainty about supply levels and questions about capacity and accessibility remain even as they prepare for their turn.
“Two weeks is not enough time for the 50- to 64-year-old launch,” said Burbank resident Jim Chadwick, 64, on Friday. “It will be a crazy rush on April 1st.”
The California Department of Finance, which monitors population data, projects that there are about 1.9 million people in LA County between the ages of 50 and 64 and 7.2 million in the state. Currently, only about 23% of Californians in this age group have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the state, compared with 37% of people aged 18 to 49, probably due to occupation or health status.
Rafi Nazarians, AARP’s associate state director, said the short vaccination window for people aged 50 to 64 is a cause of concern.
“The two-week period is worrying, given the challenges that still persist with the supply and access to technology,” he said. “We will continue to insist on prioritizing these more than 50 Californians … just to ensure that those most at risk can get vaccines.”
It is unclear exactly how many people aged 50 to 64 have not yet been vaccinated in LA County. Some would have already become eligible through their work or because they have qualifying health conditions.
“So it’s not like we’re starting from scratch,” said Dr. Paul Simon, director of science for the county’s Department of Public Health.
However, he estimated on Friday that somewhere between 800,000 and 1 million additional people would become eligible as of April 1.
“There will probably be a race. I want to make sure that the public recognizes that there can be challenges to getting an appointment right away, ”he said during a briefing. “This, again, reflects the limited supply of vaccine.
On a positive note, state officials said that an important supply increase it is imminent – with weekly allocations expected to grow to around 2.5 million doses in the first half of April – which will help accommodate the huge increase in people.
Federal officials said they expected more than 11 million Johnson & Johnson doses – which requires only one dose – will be delivered across the country next week, a huge number compared to what has been shipped so far.
LA County is already beginning to see an increase in its photo offering. The county expects to receive a total of 338,100 doses next week, up 21% from this week and, said Simon, appears to be the highest weekly dose to date.
In the past month, the county received about 250,000 to 280,000 doses a week, he said.
However, it will take time for the county to overcome its already long vaccination line, as well as accommodate those who will soon become eligible.
That, as is the case with so many things at the time of COVID-19, will be a balancing act, said Simon.
“Even with an increase in vaccine supply, we certainly can’t handle about a million people in the first week, given all the other groups that are also being vaccinated,” he said. “But I hope that in the coming weeks, demand will decrease slightly and things will open up, especially as the supply of this vaccine continues to increase. For this reason, I urge people to be patient ”.
But people over 50 have been tremendously impacted by the pandemic and should not be overlooked, said AARP Nazis. Over 90% of all COVID-19 deaths in California were from people aged 50 and over, according to state data, and many still face problems with mobility, language barriers and technology.
“We are going to ask the state of California to do more to reach older adults, especially those who are not online and those who are not at home,” he said. “It is very important for us that all Californians have access to accurate and transparent information about vaccines.”
Santa Monica resident Jon Ferrara, 61, was also concerned about the barriers for his age group.
“I am not concerned about my ability to secure a vaccine appointment, as I am very resourceful and technical,” he said, “but I am concerned about those who are older or have less access to the digital technology needed to fill out forms.”
He was skeptical about the state’s ability to vaccinate the group between April 1 and 14. “California would need to scale the vaccine delivery locations widely and register access so that all residents aged 50 to 64 are vaccinated in two weeks,” said Ferrara.
Contributing to the two-week challenge is a lack of consistency – not just across the state, but even within some counties. Some parts of California, including Long Beach and Solano and Contra Costa counties, have already made COVID-19 vaccine eligible for people between the ages of 50 and 64. Residents are still unsure whether and when it is acceptable to cross county boundaries.
And while some counties have already expanded eligibility beyond state guidance, others continue to dispute more offerings. In Santa Clara County, which recently moved to the state’s orange level for reopening, authorities announced again on Thursday that they were awaiting adequate supplies to meet current and future demand.
“We are excited to expand eligibility. That’s why we increase capacity so quickly – so that we can quickly vaccinate as many qualified people as possible who live and work here, ”said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, county COVID-19 testing and vaccine officer. “Currently, our challenge is not one of capacity or eligibility, but of supply.”
The county, like the state, has the capacity to administer a significant number of doses once the distribution increases. Authorities said the county has the capacity to deliver 200,000 vaccines a week. To date, 805,000 doses have been administered.
Another potential problem is the challenge of getting an appointment and reaching the destination of the vaccine. A federally run vaccine center in Cal State LA had been prioritized as a destination for people who depended on public transportation. The center included a drive-through website, as well as an elevator-free facility close to the school’s transit center. It is unclear how its closing on April 11 will affect those who are less mobile.
Access to obtain an appointment has been a constant challenge as more people compete to obtain available slots.
The LA County Department of Public Health said its vaccine hotline received a notable increase in calls last week after the state expanded eligibility to nearly 5 million people. Appointments were difficult for many in the early days, in part because the scheduling website did not open for pre-registration before the date when eligibility went into effect and an increase in traffic made it difficult for some to get through the system.
“I really think it will be several weeks before I can find an appointment,” said LA resident Jeanette Ziolkowski, 63, on Friday. Ziolkowski waited patiently for his shot, even as he watched her 68-year-old husband receive both doses of Pfizer. She is not convinced that there will be enough time for her cohort to be vaccinated before everyone becomes eligible on April 15.
“65 years or more have been open since January, and I believe it is still a struggle for many in that group,” she said.
But as confirmed cases of coronavirus variants increase across the state, and some counties see slight increases in projected transmission, state and local authorities have emphasized the importance of vaccinating residents as soon as possible to prevent another increase.
And despite the tight deadline for the group, many in their 50s and 60s were enthusiastic about the news of the expansion.
“I’m so happy I can’t even begin to tell you,” said Travis Stewart, 51, who has been quarantined at his Valley Village home for nearly 400 days.
For Stewart, the news came much sooner than expected: she thought her vaccine injection would not arrive until June or July. Now she has it all checked out on her computer – CVS, Walgreens, My Turn and other sites – ready to start on April 1st.
“I feel that what the state is doing is a kind of ‘soft opening’,” she said, “to prepare the infrastructure for the floods that will come its way.”
After so many months of cooking at home, Stewart said she is looking forward to eating at a restaurant again. And she is not only happy that her chance will come soon, but also because those under 50 will not be far behind: her husband, a few years younger than her, will be in the group that becomes eligible on April 15.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me,” said Stewart, “unless we’re both vaccinated.”