In December, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the Centers for Disease Control provided a vaccination implementation strategy that will roll out in phases or TIERs throughout the nation. The CDC recommends that in phase one, distribution is prioritized for healthcare personnel, long-term care facility residents, individuals with an underlying medical condition, including autoimmune conditions, and 70 or older individuals. These recommendations will proactively decrease the number of COVID-19 related deaths, preserve society's functioning, and reduce the extra burden COVID-19 is having on individuals already facing disparities. However, these are recommendations only and each state has its vaccination implementation strategy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).
In California, the COVID-19 California Governor’s Vaccine Task Force has followed the phase one recommendations but has expanded the distribution to four phases. Currently, the state is in Phase 1b, which includes all individuals who are 65 and older and individuals working in sectors with high occupational exposure and communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Individuals in lower priority groups will receive the vaccine when demand subsides from the population identified in phase one or earlier as doses approach their expiration date or if providers experience storage challenges (California Department of Public Health, 2021). The California vaccine schedule prioritizes food and agriculture workers, grocery store associates, critical manufacturing workers, and inmates. This phase is expected to last until spring, when the state will begin implementing phase 1c, which will open vaccine availability to 50 and older individuals and individuals who are 16 and older with health conditions. In this phase, individuals employed in waste management, Communications and IT, Financial Services, and government operations will be able to register for a vaccine. Individuals conducting community service will also have access to the vaccine in phase 1c. In the current iteration of the vaccine plan, healthy Californian’s will not be able to register for a vaccine until the advisory committee decides to implement phase 2, which is currently sometime in the summer or fall (Martichoux, 2021).
The reason for the delay in distribution to the general public is the size of populations identified in the first groups because distribution plans are implemented at a county level. County health departments, who have experience with influenza vaccine clinics, rely on the state to deploy the correct number of vaccines to their areas, which are determined by the number of frontline workers in the county they work in, not the county they live in. With millions of Californians in frontline jobs, supplies are expected to diminish quickly, but that vaccine administration is one of the most effective ways to curb the pandemic as it is a public health tool that experts can influence directly, unlike mask adherence and social distancing regulations (Caiola, 2020). All eligible recipients who can receive the vaccine are encouraged to do so during their recommended phase, even if you had contracted the virus before the vaccine became available. Additionally, wearing a mask and social distancing will still be required because both natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity is unclear, making reinfection and the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 a real possibility (Silberner, 2021).
For more information go to https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/#California's-vaccination-plan
References
Caiola, S. (2020, December 31). Capradio. Retrieved from With more vaccine doses coming, California countis scramble to make distribution plans: https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/12/31/with-more-vaccine-doses-coming-california-counties-scramble-to-make-distribution-plans/
California Department of Public Health. (2021, January 13). COVID-19. Retrieved from Revision of Allocation Guidelines for COVID-19 Vaccine: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Revision-of-Allocation-Guidelines-for-COVID-19-Vaccine.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, December 29). Underlying Medical Conditions. Retrieved from Your Health: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/underlying-conditions.html
Martichoux, A. (2021, January 13). Coronavirus California. Retrieved from Who will get the COVID-19 vaccine next in California? Here's who's included in phases 1A, 1B and 1C: https://abc7news.com/california-coronavirus-vaccine-update-abc-covid-phase-1a-1b/9149919/
Silberner, J. (2021, January 12). The Coronavirus Crisis. Retrieved from Why You Should Still Wear A Mask And Avoid Crowds After Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/12/956051995/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask-and-avoid-crowds-after-getting-the-covid-19-vac
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