California to open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility for people with underlying illnesses, disabilities

As of March 15, the State of California opens eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to people aged 16 to 64 who have a serious underlying health condition or who are at risk due to a developmental disability or other severe disability.

Dr Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, said this would add about 4 to 6 million people to the roughly 13 million Californians already eligible for the vaccine.

This will include people with the following conditions:

• Cancer, common with weakened or immunocompromised state

• Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above

• Chronic lung disease, dependent on oxygen

• Immunosuppressed condition (weakened immune system) following a solid organ transplant

• Heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (excluding hypertension)

• Severe obesity (body mass index ≥ 40 kg / m2)

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c greater than 7.5%

Health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, people 65 years of age and over, and those working in education and child care, emergency services, and healthcare. Food and agriculture are currently eligible for the vaccine in California.

However, in San Luis Obispo County, only healthcare workers and people 65 and older are eligible to register for COVID-19 vaccine appointments right now, and in Santa County Barbara, appointments are limited to healthcare workers and people aged 75 and over. County public health officials attributed the lack of vaccine supply to limited appointments.

Santa Barbara County plans to extend immunization appointments to people aged 65 to 74 starting Tuesday, February 16.

County public health director Van Do-Reynoso said on Friday that Santa Barbara County will also open appointments for vaccines to people with disabilities and those with underlying illnesses on March 16, when they will become eligible by the State. She said those in education and child care, emergency services and food and agriculture will be next, but gave no specific date.