Eligibility for vaccines in California will be extended to 16-64 year olds with underlying health conditions

California is expanding the list of people eligible for the coronavirus vaccine from an additional 4 million to 6 million people.

State health director Dr Mark Ghaly said on Friday that starting March 15, people aged 16 to 64 with severe disabilities and those with health conditions that put them at high risk may line up for the vaccine.

These include people with certain cancer, heart, lung and kidney diseases, as well as pregnant women, people with Down syndrome, organ transplant recipients, and severely obese people.

California has been plagued by vaccine shortages and Ghaly admitted he was unsure how long it will take for the federal vaccine supply to meet demand.

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The state memo says providers can use their judgment “to immunize people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are considered to be most at risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality as a direct result” of series of various medical conditions.

This represents a significant expansion of the state’s population eligible for the vaccine. Currently, eligibility is limited to persons 65 years of age and over, healthcare workers, residents and staff in long-term nursing care facilities.

This comes at a time when the vaccine supply is very limited throughout the state. In Los Angeles County, for example, next week the majority of vaccination sites will be limited to providing second doses, not first doses of vaccine.

Los Angeles County receives an average of about 200,000 doses of vaccine per week, which falls short of the ability of different county sites to vaccinate 600,000 per week, according to county health officials.

If vaccine eligibility is expanded without additional supply, officials say it will be all the more difficult to keep up with demand.

“We’re definitely going to need more vaccine,” said Dr. Paul Simon, scientific director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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