MEDIA ALERT: Additional Groups Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccines in Yolo County
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2021
Contact: Jenny Tan, Public Information Officer
Work Cell: (530) 908-0186
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Additional Groups Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccines in Yolo County
(Woodland, CA) – Following the State of California’s announcement to provide vaccinations to those deemed highest risk, Yolo County will begin expanding its Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination efforts on March 15 to include individuals with certain severe health conditions or disabilities, those living or working in high-risk congregate residential settings and public transit workers, including airport workers for commercial airlines. In addition, all janitorial staff, couriers of vaccines and emergency supplies, utility workers who respond to emergencies, massage therapists, social workers, activated disaster service workers, and library staff working on site are eligible for a vaccine under the State’s updated guidelines.
Individuals aged 16-64 will be considered eligible for a vaccination if they have one or more of the following severe health conditions:
- ♦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 cardiomyopathy (but not hypertension)
- ♦Severe obesity (body mass index greater than or equal to 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 severe high-risk disability one or more of the following applies:
- ♦The individual is likely to develop severe life-threatening illness or death from COVID-19 infection
- ♦Acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual’s ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and survival
- Providing adequate and timely COVID care will be particularly challenging as a result of the individual’s disability.
The County recommends that residents with these health conditions or disabilities reach out to their healthcare providers first, who already have access to the resident’s medical record, for vaccination options, though the County will be vaccinating these individuals at County clinics where a verification of diagnosis or disability will not be required but residents will be asked to attest that they qualify. Residents aged 16-64 with severe health conditions or disabilities who are homebound may call 211 Yolo or toll free at (855) 866-1783 to sign up for an in-home vaccine.
For individuals who live or work in a high-risk congregate residential setting, site managers should be working directly with Yolo County Public Health for on-site vaccinations. For the other newly eligible groups, please check for vaccination options at the County’s website: www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-vaccine.
“Individuals with certain underlying medical conditions and disabilities are more likely to experience severe COVID-19 or die from COVID-19, which is why they are being prioritized to receive COVID-19 vaccines,” said Yolo County Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson. “However, it is important to keep in mind that while we are expanding the number of people who are eligible for vaccine, the vaccine supply is not increasing. Not everybody who is eligible will be able to receive a vaccine right away.”
So far, Yolo County has administered 15,798 first doses to residents, including hosting clinics for agricultural workers and childcare providers and even providing in-home vaccines for homebound seniors. Including healthcare providers, such as Sutter Health, UC Davis Health, Dignity Health, Kaiser Permanente, CommuniCare and Elica Health Centers, more than 44,000 Yolo County residents have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
For more information about Yolo County’s COVID-19 vaccine and distribution process, visit https://www.yolocounty.org/coronavirus-vaccine. Residents can call Yolo 2-1-1 for resource information. Follow Yolo County on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/YoloCounty or Twitter at: https://twitter.com/YoloCountyCA.
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