The distribution of the coronavirus vaccine to people 65 and older in California was marked by confusion, with some counties moving faster than others.
Some municipalities are beginning to offer the vaccine to older residents. But others, including Los Angeles County, say they need to finish giving injections to first aid and health workers first.
In northern California, some counties are starting to offer vaccines to people age 75 and older and then moving on to people age 65 and older.
Here are some details:
Los Angeles County
According to the LA County Department of Public Health, the county is still in Phase 1A of vaccine implementation, which means that only health professionals and specialist nursing residents and long-term care facilities are eligible to receive the vaccine.
The department said the county is working to provide another 500,000 doses to people in the Phase 1A group by the end of the month, and expects to move to Phase 1B – those 65 and older – in early February.
County health offices were bombarded by calls from confused residents with mixed messages from state and local authorities. Gov. Gavin Newsom, in an ad Wednesday, said people aged 65 and over could be vaccinated, but local health officials followed up with public statements shortly after saying otherwise.
The county estimates that everyone in Phase 1B will receive at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of March.
Phase 1C, which includes people aged 50 to 64 and people aged 16 to 49 with basic health problems or working in certain essential jobs, is expected to start in March. Everyone in this phase should receive at least one dose by the beginning of May.
Phase 2, which includes all people aged 16 to 49, is expected to start in mid-May or early June.
In the city of Long Beach, which has its own public health department, officials said they would start offering vaccines to people over 65 as of Saturday.
Orange county
While Orange County residents age 65 and older are furiously scheduling to receive COVID-19 vaccines at a new distribution center that opened on Wednesday at Disneyland in Anaheim, plans are already underway to bring in additional distribution centers online.
Authorities have not yet defined the locations of these vaccination centers, known as super PODs “(distribution points), but Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley suggested in one virtual city hall on Facebook on Thursday that the Orange County Fairgrounds could be among them.
“I know the cat is out of the bag that we will eventually have a website on the fair grounds,” said Foley at the forum, where she and MP Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach) provided an update on the COVID response -19 from the county.
In collaboration with the Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Health Agency employees established an incident management team to help oversee the administration of COVID-19 vaccines and distribution points throughout the county.
Operation independence plans to vaccinate most Orange County residents by July 4.
Fire Authority Division chief Mike Pietro, who is leading the operation alongside Health Agency Deputy Director Margaret Bredehoft, confirmed in a press conference Wednesday that, in addition to the Disneyland website, four more distribution centers were being planned in Orange County.
“As these local agreements are finalized, and as the team is secured and we receive more vaccines, these POD super sites will go online,” said Pietro, refusing to say when they could be operational.
San Diego County
San Diego County’s health systems are dealing with a huge demand for the vaccine.
UC San Diego Health began immunizing older patients on Thursday, starting a new phase in the vaccine’s launch in the region. Health system members aged 65 and over are being contacted to schedule appointments, according to a UCSD note.
“Patients are asked to wait for their vaccination invitations to avoid overloaded phone lines and to accommodate ongoing services and care … Eligible patients will be contacted as soon as possible, based on the availability of the vaccine.”
UCSD plans to start immunizing 500 patients a day. These doses will mainly go to patients whose medical history makes them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. UCSD did not specify what pre-existing conditions would be considered, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that there is strong evidence that cancer and various forms of lung, kidney and heart disease increase the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
Diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity are also risk factors, according to Dr. Davey Smith, director of infectious diseases at UCSD. Age too. About 15% of San Diego County residents aged 80 and over who received COVID-19 died – more than one in seven.
The San Diego Health System of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, which serves more than 86,000 veterinarians, began immunizing patients on Wednesday, according to a spokesman. San Diego VA is starting with patients 85 years of age or older until it receives more doses.
Vaccine availability remains a major problem for most local health systems. The county’s two largest systems – Scripps and Sharp – as well as Kaiser Permanente, Alvarado Hospital Medical Center and Paradise Valley Hospital say they currently do not have enough vaccine to immunize patients.
The country’s two largest drugstore retail chains, CVS and Walgreens, have not yet started vaccinating older Californians, with the exception of those in nursing homes. But Ralphs supermarket chain, which has 77 pharmacies across Southern California, started this week; San Diegans 65 and above can schedule online appointments at your nearest location.
If you don’t see a sign-up option, it is because vacancies are filling up quickly, according to a spokesman for Ralphs, who added that the company’s website started to fail on Wednesday due to an increase in traffic.
The county plans to continue to focus on inoculating health workers at its mass vaccination site near Petco Park until the week of January 25, according to public health officer Dr. Wilma Wooten. At that point, says Wooten, those 65 and older may be vaccinated at the county’s immunization sites. Essential workers such as teachers, police and grocery workers can follow in February. The county plans to launch an online system next week for people who want to receive alerts about when and where they can be vaccinated.
Other Southern California counties
Riverside County opened vaccines for residents 65 and older, according to the public health department.
San Bernardino, Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties are still prioritizing Phase 1A health professionals.
Next phases
Some of those who would be at the front of the line in phases, as described by the state:
Phase 1B
- People at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: education, daycare, emergency services and food and agriculture
- People at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: transport and logistics; industrial, commercial, residential and shelter facilities and services; critical manufacturing
- Add environments with risk of outbreak, such as incarcerated and homeless people
Phase 1C
- Individuals aged 50 to 64
- Persons aged 16 to 49 with an underlying health condition or disability that increases the risk of severe COVID-19
- People at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: water and sewage; defense; energy; chemical and hazardous materials; communications and IT; financial services; government operations and essential community-based functions