Vaccine eligibility in California will be extended to ages 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions

California is expanding the list of people eligible for the coronavirus vaccine by another 4 to 6 million people.

State Health Director Dr. Mark Ghaly said Friday that starting March 15, people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are severely disabled and those with high-risk health conditions can align with photos.

These include people with certain cancers of the heart, lungs and kidneys, as well as pregnant women, those with Down syndrome, recipients of organ transplants and people with severe obesity.

California has been hit by a shortage of vaccines, and Ghaly has admitted that he is not sure how long it will take for the federal fire supply to meet demand.

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The state memorandum states that providers can use their judgment “to vaccinate people between the ages of 16 and 64, who are considered to have the highest risk of morbidity and mortality with COVID-19 as a direct result of“ a series medical conditions.

This is a significant expansion of the state’s population that is eligible for vaccination. Eligibility is currently limited to people aged 65 and over, health workers and residents and staff from long-term healthcare institutions.

It comes at a time when the supply of vaccines is very limited throughout the state. In Los Angeles County, for example, next week most vaccination sites will be limited to providing second doses and not the first doses of vaccine.

Los Angeles County receives an average of about 200,000 doses of vaccine per week, which far exceeds the capacity of various locations in the county to vaccinate 600,000 per week, county health officials say.

If vaccine eligibility is expanded without an additional offer, officials say it will be much harder to keep up with demand.

“We will definitely need more vaccine,” said Dr. Paul Simon, chief executive of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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