California to open COVID vaccinations to people with severe health conditions, disabilities

Feb. 12—Californians under 65 with severe health conditions or high-risk disabilities will be eligible to get COVID-19 vaccines starting March 15 under new guidance announced Friday by the state's Department of Public Health.

The new guidance will give health care providers discretion to allow people between the ages of 16 and 65 who are at high risk of dying from COVID-19 because of a health problem or disability.

As he announced the change, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly acknowledged that the ability of people in these groups to get their shots will depend on vaccine availability.

The severe health conditions on the state's list are cancer, chronic kidney disease of stage 4 or above, down syndrome, weakened immune system from a solid organ transplant, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, heart conditions, severe obesity, and Type 2 diabetes with hemoglobin A1c greater than 7.5%.

A state bulletin to providers says the list of eligible conditions are subject to change based on additional scientific data and analysis.

The guidance also allows vaccines for people with developmental or severe disabilities who will be prevented from getting ongoing care services if they contract COVID-19, or who would be difficult to treat for COVID-19 because of their disability. The guidance does not clearly define who qualifies as having a developmental or severe disability.

Four to six million people will fall into those categories, Ghaly said during a telephone call with reporters.

Health care workers and nursing home residents currently are eligible to be vaccinated across the state. People over age 65 and workers in education, child care, emergency services, food and agriculture are also eligible to be vaccinated, but their ability to get a vaccine appointment varies by region.

Vaccinations for younger people with health conditions and disabilities won't start until March because the state still has a limited vaccine supply, he said.

"The bottom line is we are still very much dealing with the scarcity of vaccines," Ghaly said.

Following this latest group, officials said the state will return to relying on age to determine vaccine priority. Ghaly said no decision has been made on which age group would follow.

___

(c)2021 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)

Visit The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) at www.sacbee.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.