Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) continue to work toward allocating COVID-19 vaccines to a broader segment of the state’s population, with the agency recently clarifying what education and child care providers are eligible for the vaccine.
The state’s weekly dose allocation from the federal government has also increased slightly with California slated to receive more than 3 million vaccine doses by the third week of February.
Currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDPH, are individuals age 65 years and older, health care workers, residents in high risk congregate care settings, education workers and child care providers, emergency service workers, and food, grocery and agriculture workers.
Education/Child Care Providers
The CDPH’s guidelines define what education and child care providers are eligible for the vaccine as follows:
Persons at risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 through their work in any role in the following Education and Child Care settings:
• All formal and informal child care workers, including day care providers;
• All staff in colleges, universities, junior colleges, community colleges, and other postsecondary education facilities;
• All staff in educational support services and administration;
• All staff in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools;
• All staff in technical and trade schools;
• Any other workers involved in child and/or student care, including school bus drivers and monitors, crosswalk guards, etc.
Mass Vaccination Sites
In addition to broadening eligibility categories, the state has announced a number of mass vaccination sites. Locations will include Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara), Petco Park (San Diego), Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles), Cal Expo (Sacramento), Cal State Los Angeles, Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, and Disneyland. Kaiser has also opened two mass vaccination sites — one at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and another at Cal Poly Pomona.
