Infectious Disease Expert, Seniors Weigh In On Move To Make Californians 65 And Older Eligible For Vaccine
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — It's the shot in the arm California seniors have been waiting for. On Tuesday, the state announced residents 65 and older are now able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"I'm relieved because I'm afraid of the virus, like everyone. And, the sooner I can get the shot the better," Sharan Takeda, who is in the 65 and older group, said.
"Number one, I'm glad they have it and I'm willing to take it," Warren Fox said.
The announcement is following a move by the CDC on Tuesday where the agency stated that it's freeing up more vaccines. The California COVID Dashboard's most recent numbers show California seniors make up 10.4% of the state's positive COVID-19 cases and 74.7% of the state's COVID deaths.
"If we have adequate vaccine then it's certainly appropriate to broaden the categories," Dr. Dean Blumberg a pediatric infectious diseases expert at UC Davis Children's Hospital said.
Blumberg said moving the most vulnerable to the front of the line is the right thing to do if there's enough supply.
"The higher the supply, the more wide-spread availability there will be. It's just not practical to do everybody in one group before going on to the next group," Blumberg said. "These groups need to overlap. These phases need to overlap for efficiency's sake."
Now, those who are the state's most vulnerable are glad that they are being prioritized by the powers that be.
"I'm happy to hear that we're moving to the point that the vaccine is available," Jim Greene, who falls into the 65 and older group, said.
"I mean it's at a point where it's more making sure that they're making use of the vaccine as they could since it's got such a special shelf life," William Naddy, who also falls into the group, said.
The California Department of Public Health told CBS13 that it can't say where the vaccines will be distributed at this time.
CDPH said it can take a few days, if not a week, to receive the vaccines from CDC. Then it will be allocated to different counties in California and those individual counties will decide where the vaccines are sent.
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