Fourteen months after San Jose resident Patricia Dowd became the first person in the United States to die from COVID-19, the historic pandemic killed more than 560,576 Americans – more fatalities than the U.S. Korean. War combined.
But on Thursday, California hit a hopeful milestone. For the first time ever, every adult in the state is eligible for a vaccine, the best defense against the pandemic. With vaccines being rolled out, the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in California has been steadily declining, but has increased in some other states recently, such as Michigan.
“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and vaccines are key to ending it sooner,” Darrel Ng, a spokesman for the State Department of Public Health. “We continue to encourage people to take the first available vaccine.”
So what exactly changes on Thursday?
Under state rules, every Californian age 16 and older is eligible for vaccination – although some Bay Area counties, such as Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Contra Costa, have already made the shift in recent days.
Until recently, vaccination appointments were reserved statewide for people over 50, health workers, teachers, people with disabilities and other groups facing higher risks.
How do I get a vaccine?
Any Californian can sign up at myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255.
You can also contact your health care provider to schedule an appointment when slots become available. Many pharmacies, including Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens, also offer appointments.
You can make an appointment through many of the province’s health websites. Or, you can go to VaccineFinder.org, run by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, to find available vaccines near you.
Another helpful website is Vaccinespotter.org, which scans every minute available appointments at pharmacy chains across California. Users enter their zip code and the distance they want to drive.
Will there be enough vaccines for everyone?
Initially no. California has approximately 32 million adults. About half have received at least one dose of vaccine so far. And every week, California receives about 2.5 to 3 million new doses of the vaccine from the federal government.
In the first few weeks, interest will almost certainly increase. Be patient, health experts say.
More doses are produced every week and more appointments become available.
“At least by the end of May, the vast majority of adult Americans will have gotten their first chance,” President Biden said on Tuesday.
What about children under 16?
No vaccine has yet been approved for people under the age of 16. That means about 8 million children, or about 20% of the California population, are ineligible.
Clinical trials are underway and White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month that the US could begin vaccinating older children against COVID-19 as early as the fall, with younger children following early on. years of eligibility.
How Much Protection Do Vaccines Give Me?
Getting one injection of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine reduces your risk of getting COVID-19 by 80% from two weeks after you’re vaccinated, according to the CDC.
After two doses, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are over 90% effective, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose, has been shown to be 72% effective in the US, although it is 100% effective in preventing passing away.
On Tuesday, California temporarily halted distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to a rare side effect that caused blood clots in 6 of the 6.8 million vaccinated, including one death.
But state and federal officials said the change would not significantly limit vaccine supply or delay the relaxation of pandemic restrictions. The Johnson & Johnson vaccines make up only 3.7% of the doses delivered nationwide, and 7.2% of the doses delivered to California by the federal government, according to the CDC.
Didn’t I hear that other rules will change on April 15th?
Yes. Under California’s color system, meetings, receptions, conferences and indoor live events can be opened wider from Thursday. The rules are very detailed and vary based on the level of each province, allowing for larger crowds if people show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours. Gavin Newsom has said the state will abolish the level system and reopen wide on June 15. On Wednesday, the last of California’s 58 counties emerged from the most restrictive purple layer when Merced County joined 22 other counties with significant spread of the virus in the red layer. Most of the Bay Area is in the less restrictive orange layer with a moderate distribution.
How is California doing with vaccines?
The state is making steady progress.
As of Wednesday, 51% of California’s adult population 18 and older, or 15.6 million people, have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and 84% of Californians 65 and older – the group most vulnerable to dying from COVID-19 – having received at least one recording, according to CDC data.
Meanwhile, about 28% of all California adults are fully vaccinated and 60% of those 65 and older fall into that category.
How does California compare to other states?
Pretty good. On Wednesday, California was ranked 12th nationwide out of 50 states by the percentage of adults over 18 on at least one dose, according to the CDC. The highest state, New Hampshire, vaccinated 66% of adults. The states with the lowest rates are Mississippi (37%), Alabama (37%), Louisiana (39%), and Tennessee (39%).
How is the US doing?
The rate of vaccination has increased significantly in recent months and the US has now vaccinated nearly half of the population. That’s a higher percentage than almost any other major nation except Israel and the United Kingdom.
The United States is currently administering about 3.3 million doses of vaccine per day, three times as fast as January. That means that about 5% of the US population is vaccinated every five days.
As of Wednesday, 47.6% of Americans over the age of 18, or 124 million people, have received at least one dose, and 29.6% or 77 million people have been fully vaccinated.