California is opening the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults, but the timing of scheduling an appointment remains in flux.
Residents who are at least 50 years old can receive vaccines from April 1, and all Californians 16 and older are eligible from April 15.
Appointments
The California Department of Public Health said on Thursday that residents could start booking their shots through their doctor’s office, as long as appointments are on or after their eligibility day, April 1 or 15.
Depending on suitability, residents can book an appointment through the state My turn planning site on April 1, April 15 or later.
Ultimately, vaccines should be available through pharmacies, community clinics, and government-run centers.
Dr. Nancy Gin, the regional medical director of quality and clinical analysis at Kaiser Permanente, said the network is also unable to “pre-schedule appointments for these admission dates.”
“We encourage everyone eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Gin. “Until most of the community is vaccinated, everyone should maintain healthy behaviors, including wearing a mask, washing hands often and avoiding crowds, even after vaccination, to make sure we don’t spread the virus.”
Equity
State officials said they are not shifting from what they have long characterized as the guiding principle of vaccine rollout in California: equality.
Starting earlier this month, the state began earmarking 40% of the available COVID-19 vaccines for residents in the most disadvantaged areas – those in the lowest quartile of a socioeconomic measure called the California Healthy Places Index
That allocation will continue, officials said.
Growing supply of vaccines
Earlier this month, the state comprehensive vaccine are eligible to nearly 5 million Californians with disabilities and underlying health problems. But for weeks, state and local officials have warned that supply would remain stable until late March or early April, when vaccine allocations were expected to increase significantly. Until then, access to the vaccine has been limited in various parts of the state.
But officials say the supply is growing.
“Based on current estimates,” said government officials, “California expects to receive about 2.5 million first and second doses per week in the first half of April, and more than 3 million doses in the second half of April.”
California currently receives about 1.8 million doses per week. The state has the capacity to administer more than 3 million vaccines per week and is building the capacity to administer 4 million vaccines per week by the end of April, officials said.
“Based on current estimates,” said government officials, “California expects to receive about 2.5 million first and second doses per week in the first half of April, and more than 3 million doses in the second half of April.”