California officials said Friday that people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are disabled or at high risk for COVID-19 disease and mortality are eligible to be vaccinated from next month.
The move comes after weeks of debate over who will be at the forefront of the queue for precious doses, which is in short supply. Officials estimate that the move will take 4 to 6 million more people into account for the vaccine, bringing the total population of California between 17 million and 20 million, or about half of the state.
But the stock remains very limited. Based on current award forecasts, California will no longer meet demand for some time. It will ultimately be up to local providers to decide who gets the vaccination immediately, with medical workers, first responders, people aged 65 and older, teachers and essential workers all fighting for shots.
The underlying conditions that are explicitly mentioned include cancer; chronic kidney disease of stage four or higher; chronic lung disease; Down syndrome; immune-weakened immune system of solid organ transplant; pregnancy; sickle cell disease; heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathy (excluding hypertension); severe obesity; a type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The state has also broadly defined eligible individuals as those who are likely to develop a serious life-threatening illness or death due to a COVID-19 infection or are limited in their ability to receive ongoing care or services that are essential is for their survival.
These groups can start getting the vaccine on March 15th.
State Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly did not provide details on the verification individuals would have to give to receive the vaccine.
The news follows a meeting last week held by a high-level task force with members of the departments of aging, disability services and health and human services, detailing a proposal raised by a vaccination advisory committee , expressed.
Government Gavin Newsom’s previous announcement last month that the the vaccine’s priority would shift to an age-based a fitness structure has sparked concern from groups representing the disability community, who now have to wait longer to be vaccinated, while hundreds share their frustrations on social media.
Friday’s announcement was welcomed by lawyers.
“There is no doubt that there are going to be many challenges, but there is also no doubt that this new policy is dramatically better,” said Andy Imparato of Disability Rights California, who also serves on the state’s vaccination advisory committee. ‘It creates a safety valve for people under 65,’ which can still pose a major risk.
Imparato said it hoped the new rule would alleviate the inequalities that have plagued the vaccine so far. Many of the same factors that have made the pandemic more deadly in black, Latino, and Native American communities are also creating or exacerbating disabilities, and expanding the current level to those with significant comorbidities will mean reaching more doses to communities hard hit as in an era-based system, he said.
“We can look at a map and say which zip code has the most COVID cases – these are often the same communities with a higher dose of diabetes and other diseases,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist and co-founder, said. of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations. ‘But the type of language [around severe risk] is difficult to implement, and programs that are difficult to implement create efficiency issues and equity issues. ”
She and others were particularly concerned that the documentation requirement could advance the work of California’s already sluggish vaccination program.
“We need to be careful not to split hairs over who is disabled enough to be vaccinated,” said Dr. Alyssa Burgart, a Stanford bioethicist, said. ‘It’s so easy to show what your age is. But there is a huge variety in the type of disability that can offer you a higher risk of COVID. ‘
Alice Wong, 46, a disabled San Francisco activist who created the hashtag #HighRiskCA in response to the change, agrees.
‘There are many people who do not have a primary care provider [to provide documentation]”We need no more obstacles,” she said.