KEY POINTS

  • Californians aged 65 and older can now get the coronavirus vaccine
  • The expansion started after the CDC announced changes to its vaccine distribution plan
  • A notification system will be set up by the state to notify when someone can get his shot taken

Californians aged 65 and older can now receive the coronavirus vaccine.

It was initially available for health care workers and patients who are in long-term care facilities. The expansion came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced changes to its vaccine distribution plan, which includes providing the vaccine to those 65 and older, due to the higher rate of serious illness among seniors.

The state of California also reported that a notification system is being set up to let people know when they can get vaccinated.

With the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine comes another issue that California officials face. As of Monday, the state had received more than 2.4 million doses of vaccine, yet less than one-third had been administered.

This is because there has been a lower-than-expected demand for the vaccine from health care and nursing home employees -- with up to 40% declining the initial opportunity to be vaccinated, according to the Los Angeles Times. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, has promised an improvement to the vaccine rollout, and is aiming for the rollout of 1 million vaccines by the end of the week.

Scientists say vaccines are the only way out of the pandemic, but inocculation programmes are off to a slow start
Scientists say vaccines are the only way out of the pandemic, but inocculation programmes are off to a slow start AFP / Valery HACHE

"The city of Los Angeles is converting its massive coronavirus testing site at Dodger Stadium into a vaccination distribution center this week, with officials hoping to vaccinate up to 12,000 people a day when the site is fully operational," the L.A. Times reported.

"County officials also plan to end testing at the Veterans Affairs Lot 15 site near Jackie Robinson Stadium in West Los Angeles to shift personnel, equipment, and other resources to vaccine distribution," the article continued. "Officials also plan to launch additional sites to vaccinate 500,000 healthcare workers by the end of the month."

If more doses remain after the vaccine rollout this week, local health officials say the vaccine will be available to those the next tier, while it's still available for those on the highest priority list.

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