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 deaths than the United States in World War I, the Second World War and the Korean War combined.
But on Thursday, California will reach a hopeful milestone. For the first time, every adult in the state is eligible to receive a vaccine, the best defense against the pandemic. As vaccines expanded, the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in California gradually decreased, but recently increased in some other states such as Michigan.
“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and vaccines are the key to ending them faster,” said Darrel Ng, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Health. “We encourage people to take the first available vaccine.”
What exactly changes Thursday?
According to state rules, every Californian 16 and older is eligible for vaccination – although some Bay Area counties such as Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Contra Costa have made the move in recent days.
Until recently, vaccine appointments across the country were reserved for people 50 and older, health workers, teachers, people with disabilities, and other groups at higher risk.
How do I get a vaccine?
Every Californian can sign up at myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255.
You can also contact your healthcare provider to make an appointment when slots are available. Many pharmacies, including Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens, also offer appointments.
You can make an appointment through many health websites in the country. Or you can go to VaccineFinder.org, which is managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, to detect available vaccines in your area.
Another useful website is Vaccinespotter.org, which scans available appointments at pharmacy chains across California every 1 minute. Users enter their zip code and the distance they are willing to drive.
Will there be enough vaccines for everyone?
At first, no. California has about 32 million adults. About half have so far received at least one dose of vaccine. And every week, California receives about 2.5 to 3 million new doses of the federal government vaccine.
There will almost certainly be a huge increase in interest in the first few weeks. Be patient, say health experts.
Every week more doses are produced and more appointments available.
“By the end of May, the vast majority of adult Americans will have received at least their first shot,” President Biden said last Tuesday.
What about children under 16?
No vaccine has yet been approved for people under 16. That means about 8 million children, or about 20% of the California population, are not eligible.
Clinical trials are currently underway, and dr. White House Chief Medical Officer Anthony Fauci said last month that the U.S. will be able to vaccinate older children against COVID-19 as soon as it falls, with younger children eligible early next year.
How much protection do vaccines offer me?
If you get a chance at the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, you reduce the risk of getting COVID-19 by 80% from two weeks after being vaccinated, according to the CDC.
After two doses, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are more than 90% effective, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose, has been found to be 72% effective in the US, although it is 100% effective in to prevent death.
On Tuesday, California temporarily halted the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to a rare side effect that caused blood clots in 6 people out of the 6.8 million vaccinated, including one death.
But government officials and federal officials said the change would not significantly limit the supply of vaccines or slow down the easing of pandemic restrictions. According to the CDC, the Johnson & Johnson vaccines make up only 3.7% of the doses administered nationwide, and 7.2% of the doses delivered by the federal government to California.
Did I not hear that other rules change on April 15?
Yes. According to California’s color level system, events, receptions, conferences and indoor live events can be opened wider from Thursday. The rules are very detailed and vary according to the level of each province, allowing larger crowds if people within 72 hours provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. Gavin Newsom’s government has said the state’s system will disappear and reopen wide on June 15. On Wednesday, the last of California’s 58 counties came out of the most restrictive purple level when Merced County joined 22 other counties with a significant spread of the virus in the red level. Most of the Bay is in the less restricted orange plain with moderate distribution.
How about California with vaccines?
The state is making steady progress.
As of Wednesday, 51% of California’s adult population 18 years and older, or 15.6 million people, have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 84% of Californians 65 years and older – the group most vulnerable to COVID-19 to die. – according to CDC data received at least one shot.
Meanwhile, about 28% of all adults in California 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, according to the CDC, California ranked the country 12th out of 50 states according to the percentage of adults over 18 with at least one dose. The top state, New Hampshire, has vaccinated 66% of adults. The states with the lowest rates are Mississippi (37%), Alabama (37%), Louisiana (39%) and Tennessee (39%).
How about the US?
The rate of vaccines has increased significantly over the past few months, and the US has now vaccinated almost half of its population. This is a higher percentage than almost every other major country except Israel and the United Kingdom.
The United States currently administers approximately 3.3 million doses of vaccine per day, three times more than in January. This 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.