Vaccine Eligibility Expanding starting April 1st in LA County March 31, 2021 COVID-19, Early Childcare, Education, Essential Workers, Food & Agriculture, Healthcare Workers, LA County, lapublichealth, Pfizer, Public Transit, Vaccine 1160 COVID-19 Vaccine Email Newsletter Issue 7 March 30, 2021 In this Issue: Current Eligibility in LA County + New occupations just announced. New Vaccine Eligibility as of April 1st and April 15th Additional Essential Workers Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine This past week, several new essential workforce groups were added to those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Below are the current eligible sectors for the vaccine. Eligible Sectors for the COVID-19 Vaccine by Occupation Food & Agriculture NEW: Private domestic workers, such as Gardeners, Landscape workers (must work more than 20 hours per week) Education and Early Childcare NEW: Private domestic workers, such as Nannies (must work more than 20 hours per week) Public Transit NEW: Flight crews (must live or be based in LA County) Janitorial/Custodial NEW: Private domestic workers, such as House Cleaners (must work more than 20 hours per week) Healthcare Workers Emergency Services A full breakdown of the occupations by sector is available at our webpage How to Make an Appointment. Persons with qualifying medical conditions and disabilities as well as persons ages 65 and older are also currently eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Qualifying conditions include: Cancer, current with weakened immune system Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen dependent Down syndrome Solid organ transplant, leading to a weakened immune system Pregnancy Sickle cell disease Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (but not hypertension) Severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/m2) Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5% OR If, as a result of a developmental or other significant, high-risk disability, one or more of the following criteria applies: A COVID-19 infection is likely to result in severe life-threatening illness or death; OR Acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual’s ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and survival; OR Providing adequate and timely COVID care will be particularly challenging as a result of the individual’s disability New Vaccine Eligibility Opening in April On Thursday, April 1, all persons living in California who are 50 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and those who are 16 and older will be eligible beginning on April 15th. Effective April 15th, all persons 16 and older in LA County will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Currently there is only one vaccine, Pfizer, currently authorized for use down to age 16. For those 16 or 17, it will be important when making an appointment to select a location where the Pfizer vaccine is offered. The type of vaccine offered is noted for each vaccine site on our website. The vaccines are not yet available for children and adolescents under 16. Studies are currently underway to assess the safety and effectiveness in this age group, and we look forward to the results in the coming months. All persons getting a vaccination will need to provide identification (government ID not required) and proof that they live within LA County at their appointment. Immigration status is not required and will not be asked for at any vaccination site. All forms of acceptable documentation are available at www.vaccinateLACounty.com It is recommended you follow @lapublichealth on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for when appointments will be made available. Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus: Los Angeles County Department of Public Health http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/ California Department of Public Health https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html Spanish https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index-sp.html World Health Organization https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus LA County residents can also call 2-1-1