California allows residents 65 and older to get COVID-19 vaccine, but doses remain limited
LA TimesSyringes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine sit in a tray in a vaccination room at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. In Los Angeles, public health officials said people 65 and older won’t have access to the vaccine until the county finishes vaccinating front-line workers. “We’re not done with our healthcare workers,” said LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, adding that the county has asked the state for more doses. “That is the most effective way to save lives now,” Azar said, “and some states’ heavy-handed micromanagement of this process has stood in the way of vaccine reaching a broader swath of the vulnerable population more quickly.” New federal guidelines call for anyone 65 and older to qualify now for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. “We want to distribute as many doses as possible.” The state, however, will not follow federal guidance calling for individuals 16 to 65 with medical conditions to be eligible now for the vaccine.