Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Because the vaccine supply is expected to increase significantly in the coming weeks, the state of California will expand vaccine eligibility to all residents 50 years of age and older, beginning April 1.
Gavin Newsom, who didn't stop with the good news, announced that beginning April 15, everyone 16 and older will be able to begin getting vaccinated in every county in the state.
"With the increased vaccine supply and expanded eligibility to more Californians, the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter," said Governor Newsom.
"We continue to focus on equity as we expand vaccine eligibility to those 50 and older beginning April 1, and to those 16 and older beginning April 15. This is possible thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration and countless public health officials across the country," he added.
According to California government estimates, the state is expected to be allocated approximately 2.5 million first and second doses per week in the first two weeks of April and more than 3 million doses during the second two weeks.
California currently receives about 1.8 million doses per week, however, the state said it has the capacity to administer more than 3 million doses per week and is developing the capacity to administer 4 million doses per week by the end of April.
"We are even closer to putting this pandemic behind us with today's announcement and vaccine supplies are expected to increase dramatically in the coming months," said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Secretary of Health and Human Services.
However, he said, it will take time to vaccinate all eligible Californians, so during that time, don't let your guard down and be vigilant and continue to wear masks and follow public health guidelines.
In addition to increased vaccine allocations to providers serving the most impacted communities, the state detailed a series of initiatives to vaccinate those populations that have faced the highest rates of COVID-19 infections before vaccines are available to the entire population aged 16 years and older.
Such efforts include funding providers for programs that allow vaccines to reach communities facing the greatest health disparities; working with organized labor to reach essential workers; partnering with agricultural and community organizations to vaccinate farmworkers.
Also, allow providers to target ads by zip code through My Turn with single-use codes - scheduled to launch in late March - and support a subset of community-based organizations currently partnering with the state on COVID-19 education to provide direct assistance for vaccination appointments.
Similarly, prioritize currently eligible populations and allow providers the discretion to vaccinate those living in high impact areas - Quartiles 1 and 2 of the County's Healthy Places Index - including families.
Even with the expansion of vaccine supplies, it is expected to take several months for willing Californians to get vaccinated. According to public information shared by vaccine manufacturers and the federal government, California expects to receive several million doses of vaccine per week beginning in April.
