California again revised its vaccine plan today (Tuesday), following up on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Monday announcement that the state would prioritize age for coronavirus vaccine eligibility.
Newsom said that after the state finishes inoculating its most prioritized candidates in Phases 1a and 1b Tier 2 — health care workers, those 65 and older, first responders, teachers, childcare staff, food workers and agriculture workers — the state will transition to an age-based vaccine prioritization system.
Workers in Phase 1b Tier 2, who were originally slated to be vaccinated next, may now have to wait a little longer. Next in line could be those 50 and older — a huge revision to the vaccine rollout. Earlier this month, it was projected that those over 65 would not be vaccinated until midsummer.
It appears that supply challenges are largely to blame for the constant reshuffling of the vaccine line and a need to prioritize those most at risk as supplies get scarce.
“Certainly, at this moment of scarcity our focus is to ensure that we have that balance between risk and exposure,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s health secretary, said on earlier today (Tuesday). He added that the state will prioritize those most vulnerable “as early as we can, especially with the supply challenges that we have.”
