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California is opening COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 65 and older – an announcement that comes amid a slower-than-expected vaccination rollout and growing frustration among older people most vulnerable to the virus.
State health officials had previously ordered California to focus on immunizing health workers and nursing home residents, with people aged 75 and over and some essential workers to follow. But people over 65 account for the majority of hospitalizations and nearly three-quarters of deaths from COVID-19.
Next week, the state will launch an SMS and email notification system so Californians can know when they are eligible to register for their photo, according to the state’s public health department.
The announcement comes a day after Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the federal government would no longer reserve doses for the second vaccine – the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses.
Production has reached a point where there are now enough to start distributing more doses to states as they become available, Azar said. He ordered states to open up vaccines to people 65 and over and to people under 65 with pre-existing illnesses, noting that many states were “too prescriptive” and were not distributing vaccines quickly enough. .
The new California guidelines do not include people under the age of 65 with pre-existing conditions. Public health officials have yet to explain why.
“Part of the process we put in place in California – really thoughtful, trying to focus on risk, exposure and fairness – resulted in delays in getting vaccines out in our communities.
– Dr Mark Ghaly, Secretary of Health and Social Services
California had administered just over 816,600 doses as of Tuesday – about 30% of the doses it has in its possession, according to the state’s public health department. A federal tracker shows that most states are vaccinating people at a faster rate than California.
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom set a goal of delivering 1 million more vaccines by this weekend, recruiting four mass vaccination sites: Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, Petco Park in San Diego and Cal Expo in Sacramento.
The new guidelines throw the state away from its meticulously designed vaccine tier system, but an increase in vaccine allocation is good news for the state, Dr Mark Ghaly, Secretary of Health for the state said on Tuesday. State, during a press call.
“Having more vaccines, by inviting more people to get vaccinated, will allow California to go faster and faster in our population and get this vaccine out of our freezers and into the people to get that protection,” said Ghaly.
Berkeley residents Carly and André Rivers. Carly received her COVID-19 vaccine last week but Andre is still waiting for his. Photo courtesy of Andre Rivers
This announcement could provide much needed clarification to older people who have been looking for answers for weeks.
André Rivers, for his part, is eager to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The 74-year-old asked her GP and rheumatologist when she could get one. Neither was able to provide an answer.
His wife, Carly Rivers, who has Alzheimer’s disease, got hers last week thanks to the Berkeley PACE Center, which is part of a state program that helps seniors coordinate care so that they can live in their own home instead of a skilled nursing facility.
“Now that Carly has it, it makes sense that I have it; we do it all together, ”Rivers said. “When I go out, she accompanies me.
Instead, Rivers, like many other California seniors who have spent the past 10 months mostly isolated from friends and family, patiently awaits her turn. Frustration and anticipation grow.
COVID-19 has hurt the elderly the most. At the start of the pandemic, older people were advised to shelter in place because of their vulnerability, even before the entire state closed. In California, nearly 75% of all deaths from COVID-19 are people 65 and older.
Shortly after the vaccines arrived in California, counties said they were inundated with calls from older residents seeking information.
“If you try to be too micromanaged, too adaptive, too focused, you let the perfect be the enemy of the good in a mass vaccination campaign like this.”
– Alex Azar, Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services
From day one, California has been committed to distributing vaccines fairly, carefully targeting people based on risk. But these equity efforts hampered distribution.
“Part of the process we put in place in California – really thoughtful, trying to focus on risk, exposure, and fairness – resulted in delays in getting vaccines out to our communities,” said Ghaly.
Secretary Azar said states were limited by original guidance from the Centers for Disease Control’s Immunization Advisory Committee, which recommended that states target health workers and nursing homes first.
“Some governors overreacted and took them too prescriptively and it’s a logistical problem, it’s an operational problem,” he said. “If you try to be too micromanaged, too adaptive, too focused, you let the perfect be the enemy of the good in a mass vaccination campaign like this.”
Some counties did not wait for the state’s instruction. Following the federal announcement, Orange County said on Tuesday that it would begin offering vaccines to residents 65 and older.
Orange County public health official Dr Clayton Chau said he made the decision after reviewing hospital and mortality data. According to the county’s findings, 72% of ICU patients are 60 years and older.
“My goal is to reduce hospitalizations and deaths as quickly as possible, and we must prioritize our vaccine allocation to protect the most vulnerable in our community,” Chau said in a statement.
Orange County urged residents not to show up to its drop-in distribution sites, noting the sites were already overwhelmed.
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The coverage, translation and distribution of CalMatters COVID-19 is supported by generous grants from the Blue Shield of California Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, and California Health Care Foundation.
CALmatters.org is a non-profit, non-partisan media company explaining the politics and politics of California.
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