SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), from March 15, healthcare providers will be able to offer COVID-19 vaccines to people between the ages of 16 and 64 with serious and specific underlying health conditions. .
CDPH has asked healthcare providers to use their clinical judgment to vaccinate certain people at high risk for disease and death if they are diagnosed with COVID-19.
The CDPH has published the following list:
- Cancer, currently with weakened or immunocompromised condition
- Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or higher
- Chronic lung disease, oxygen dependent
- Down syndrome
- Immuno-compromised state (weakened immune system) due to solid organ transplantation
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Heart disease, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy (excludes hypertension) Severe obesity (body mass index ≥ 40 kg / m2)
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level higher than 7.5%
People with developmental or other severe high-risk disabilities may also qualify as listed here.
Despite problems with the current vaccine supply in San Diego County, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher believes the province will be prepared for this group in March.
“I think the plan is yes, on March 15, that we will again depend on the provision of vaccine, in terms of how many appointments there are,” Fletcher said during a coronavirus briefing on Wednesday. “How fast you move through all this stuff depends on the supply.”
The province announced by March 1 that vaccinations are available for the first group of essential workers such as teachers and police officers. By March 15, people with qualifying medical conditions listed by the state can go next.
Fletcher said it would be easier for people to go through their healthcare providers who have access to patients’ medical records; however, those who do not have a service provider can go through a region.
A CDPH spokesman told ABC 10News: “We will continue to work with the federal government to increase our vaccine supply, but ultimately there are restrictions on how much vaccine can be produced at this stage.”
Both Sharp Healthcare and Palomar Health tell ABC 10News that they are waiting for guidance from the country.
ABC 10News did not immediately return from Scripps Health.
A spokesman for Kaiser Permanente sent the following statement.
“Nationally, the COVID-19 vaccine supply is still very limited and unpredictable. The expansion of the state for people with health conditions who are at higher risk of COVID-19 is sensible and is the right next step from a public health perspective.
Without a significant increase in the supply of vaccine from the federal government, it will take months to vaccinate this new population. The good news is that vaccine supply to California appears to be increasing, and that the state’s new effort to improve vaccine distribution efficiencies is showing great promise, so we are hopeful that the number of Californians vaccinated day will increase. The state has increased the allocation that Kaiser Permanente will receive in the coming weeks and we will use this increased offer to significantly increase the number of members we can vaccinate. ‘
Kaiser Permanente