Vaccine eligibility in California will be extended to 16-64 year olds 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 as of March 15, people between the ages of 16 and 64 with severe disabilities and those at high risk can line up for receive shots.

These include people with certain cancers, heart, lung, and kidney conditions, as well as pregnant women, people with Down syndrome, organ transplant recipients, and severe obesity.

California has been hit by the shortage of vaccines and Ghaly has acknowledged that he is unsure of how long it will take the federal supply of gunfire to meet demand.

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The state note says providers can use their judgment “to vaccinate individuals between the ages of 16 and 64 who are considered to have the highest risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 as a direct result” of a number of various medical conditions.

This represents a significant expansion of the state’s vaccine-eligible population. Eligibility is currently limited to people 65 years of age or older, health care workers and residents, and long-term nursing facility staff.

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

Los Angeles counties receive an average of about 200,000 doses of vaccine a week, which is well below the ability of different county locations to vaccinate 600,000 a week, county health officials say.

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

“We will definitely need a greater supply of vaccines,” said Dr. Paul Simon, scientific director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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