California鈥檚 most medically vulnerable residents between the ages of 16 and 64 鈥� including people living with cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity 鈥� become eligible for vaccine appointments starting March 15.
Here is the current list of conditions that qualify someone for the vaccine.
- Cancer, current with debilitated or immunocompromised state
- Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above
- Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen-dependent
- Down syndrome
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (excludes hypertension)
- Severe obesity (Body Mass Index 鈮� 40 kg/m2)
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%
There is also an accommodation for people with other disabilities who would be difficult to treat or likely to die if they caught COVID-19, or who are unable to access vital services due to the threat of the virus.
People on this list can get vaccinated by their doctors or at mass vaccination clinics.
Until now, only seniors, long-term care facility staff and residents, health workers and people in the education, food and agriculture and public safety sectors have been eligible for the vaccine.
Initially, people with chronic medical conditions were in line to be vaccinated after people age 75 and up. When the state shifted to an age-based system, the tier including younger, high-risk people was eliminated.
People with chronic disabilities were for not prioritizing them, leading state health officials to that the group would once again be prioritized starting March 15.
As California is still physicians will ultimately have discretion over which of their patients to approve for vaccination first when the rules change next week.
Physicians are concerned about demand outweighing supply. UC Davis Health is notifying patients that they 鈥渕ay not have enough vaccination doses to support currently eligible groups after this weekend.鈥�
鈥淪ince we鈥檙e focused on trying to resolve the immediate issues around vaccine availability, we鈥檙e not yet at the point where we have worked out how we will support vaccinating these newly eligible groups,鈥� they wrote in a statement.
The new state guidance says health providers 鈥渕ay use their clinical judgment鈥� to vaccinate individuals
Dr. Jeff Luther, a family physician based in Long Beach, says he鈥檚 already started getting phone calls from patients asking about eligibility.
鈥淔or instance one last week, a patient saying 鈥楬ey I have asthma and I鈥檓 obese, can I get the vaccine?鈥� And according to the government lists, his asthma鈥檚 not bad enough and he鈥檚 not obese enough to qualify,鈥� he said.
鈥淐larifying for people ... is going to be a big challenge for doctors鈥� offices that are already busy trying to provide medical care,鈥� Luther said.
He says physicians are also looking to the state for more guidance on whether patients need a doctors鈥� note to sign up for their shots.
鈥淓specially because a lot of people who qualify don鈥檛 have a relationship with a physician or a medical practice and they kind of would be left in the cold,鈥� he said.
Dignity Health said in a statement that they are 鈥渘ot aware of a doctor鈥檚 note or other medical verification requirement, and understand it will rely on the honor system.鈥�
They said they don鈥檛 have an estimate on the number of patients in their system who will become eligible Monday. They said they鈥檙e also anticipating demand from patients outside their system, who will be able to book appointments at Dignity Health sites throug.
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