President Joe Biden has asked states to make COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone by May 1, but several states have already made that leap.
Alaska was the first to offer injections to individuals aged 16 and over, followed by Mississippi and West Virginia. Arizona expanded eligibility for the general population today and Texas is on track to do so on March 29.
When will California arrive?
Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday that all adults in the state should be able to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment before the end of April.
“We are predicting within five and a half weeks when we can eliminate all levels, so to speak, and make vaccines available to everyone across the spectrum, because the supply will increase exponentially,” said Newsom.
Currently, the state is vaccinating individuals over 65, with serious medical conditions and employees in certain sectors, including food, education and health.
Counties and health care providers can expand eligibility more quickly than the state, and Contra Costa and Solano counties have recently started offering vaccines to all residents aged 50 and over.
SFGATE contacted the other seven counties in the Bay Area to ask when they will expand eligibility and they all said that, due to the limited offer, their plan is to follow the state’s criteria.
“We are trying to remain in line with state policies, so that we can open up when the state gives the green light to it,” Marin County said in a statement. “Unless, of course, we believe we have reached a saturation point in our current [eligibility] groups, but we are still far from reaching that point. There is still more demand among eligible residents than we have vacancies to fill. “
“With the limited vaccine supply we are currently receiving, we have no plans at the moment to expand our eligibility,” said Matt Brown, a spokesman for Sonoma County.
“Although several other counties have moved for more than 50 years, the San Francisco Department of Public Health has heard nothing from the state about a transition to this age group,” said the San Francisco COVID Command Center in a statement by e- mail. “We will share if that changes. For now, our focus is to get as many people in the current eligibility pool as possible to be vaccinated as soon as possible.”
“Our vaccine launch is driven by the availability of supplies, which is currently very limited and because we are focused on vaccinating eligible residents in hard-to-reach communities,” said San Mateo County. “However, we are excited to hear the governor’s comments that an increase in supply to California seems likely in the last week of April to allow the state to increase eligibility for all residents aged 16 and over.”
California, the country’s most populous state, has administered more than 15 million doses since the launch began, more than any other state. In comparison, Texas administered nearly 10 million doses and Florida 8 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the Golden State lags behind other states with regard to the rate of vaccines and doses are being administered at a rate of 38,846 doses per 100,000 people. New Mexico has the highest rate, at 52,537 per 100,000, and Alaska, the second highest, at 51,474 per 100,000. Among the states, territories and federal entities that the CDC tracks, California’s vaccination rate ranks 38th.