vaccine

Millions of Californians will become eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine this week as eligibility will expand to people ages 50 and older.

Those new guidelines will begin this Thursday, and on April 15, any Californian ages 16 and older will become eligible. What remains an issue in the fight against the virus is supply, which continues to be limited across the state.

Some Northern California county officials said the state tells them about a week in advance how many doses will be delivered for the following week, which makes planning clinics and appointments challenging.

KCRA 3 reached out to counties and health care providers to see what options are available for people trying to make vaccination appointments.

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Californians age 16 and over will soon be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to an announcement by state officials Thursday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said eligibility will expand to Californians 50 years and over starting April 1. Later in the month, Californians 16 years and over will also become eligible for the vaccine, starting April 15.

The governor said he also anticipates the state supply of vaccines to increase, an issue plaguing counties since the vaccine rollout.

KCRA 3 found out whether county officials think they'll be able to meet the expanded demand.

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Hospital cases of COVID-19 surpassed 100 for the first time in nearly two weeks Thursday in Stanislaus County.

It also reported three deaths, for a total of 963 residents lost to the pandemic since last spring.

The county Health Services Agency added just 69 positive tests, raising the total to 51,468 since the first was announced a year and a day ago. Stanislaus also has 472,450 negative test results and 49,779 people who are presumed recovered.

Other details:

Hospital cases: The county's five hospitals reported 101 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, up from 95 on Wednesday. The count had stayed under 100 since Feb. 27 and is far below the 300-plus in early January. The hospitals had 10 staffed intensive-care beds available to adults Thursday, versus nine Wednesday.

Infection rates: The single-day infection rate was 11.66%, up from 10.26% the previous day, according to the state website. The rolling seven-day rate was 6.93%, up from 6.57%. The 14-day rate was 6.57%, up from 6.47%.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly 15 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in California, but the most updated statistics show that distribution has been out of step with California’s diversity.

"It's kind of alarming because again, the conversation of equity. Here you hear the slogan 'equity in action.' I guess this is what equity looks like in-action for African Americans," said Berry Accius, community advocate and founder of Voice of Youth.

While state leaders emphasize their efforts for a fair distribution – numbers revealing white Californians have received 30.7% of the vaccinations, and the lowest distribution is seen among the most vulnerable, with Black people only receiving 3%.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye with the Sacramento County Public Health and Human Services said, "This disparity came about because of the way the state set up the prioritization where we started with certain occupational sectors; health care, teachers and law enforcement."

In Sacramento County, state officials identified 12 of the most underserved ZIP codes that they are focusing on. To facilitate the process starting Monday, people still lacking access to computers, the internet or those with language barriers will be able to sign up by calling 211.

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The Newsom Administration on Thursday announced that California has set aside 40 percent of vaccine doses for the hardest-hit communities and established a vaccine equity metric – which seeks to increase vaccinations in those communities – as a prelude to adjusting the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, which governs the conditions under which California’s economy can safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

California’s approach, according to information from the Governor’s Office, will continue to focus on masking and effective use of testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation. The state is also updating its recommendations about the most effective use of masks and when to consider double masking.

“With more vaccines online and administered, California is now in a position to take steps toward ending this pandemic by keeping our guard up and by vaccinating those Californians most at risk and most exposed,” said Governor Newsom in a news release posted by his office. “Vaccinating our most impacted communities, across our state, is the right thing to do and the fastest way to end this pandemic.”

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California’s new system of delivering, tracking and scheduling coronavirus vaccines is being rolled out in select counties, a first step in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to smooth out what has been a confusing and disjointed rollout hampered by limited national supply.

Newsom announced last month that his administration had tapped insurer Blue Shield to design and manage a centralized system to get doses out quickly and equitably. He said the state also needs robust data to ensure vaccines are distributed equitably and reach low-income communities, largely Latino and Black, disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

An initial list provided by the state showed 10 counties in the inland sections of central and Southern California chosen to be the first to make the transition to the Blue Shield system this week.

Counties in the initial group include Riverside, Kings, Imperial, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Fresno and Kern counties. Starting March 3, another group that includes Los Angeles, which has 10 million of California’s nearly 40 million residents, will be added.

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