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Dear Friends,
Great news! As I shared in my Friday newsletter, starting today, March 15th, people aged 16-64 who have underlying health conditions or disabilities are now eligible to receive vaccines, as their conditions put them at the highest risk of becoming very sick from COVID-19. These 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
Persons who are newly eligible and qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine due to a medical condition should note that during registration for a vaccine appointment, they will be asked to state that they have a high-risk medical condition or disability.
To protect confidentially, they will not be asked to disclose the specific condition.
People getting vaccinated must provide documentation at all appointments with either a letter from a healthcare provider, a personal physician or an agency providing services or, if not available, the eligible person or their caretaker will be asked to sign an attestation.
All eligible persons will also need to provide identification (government ID not required) and proof that they live within LA County at their appointment.
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Appointments at Los Angeles County run sites for those with qualifying medical conditions will be made available starting today, March 15. It is recommended you follow @lapublichealth on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for when appointments will be made available. Additional information posted on www.VaccinateLACounty.com
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
- Healthcare Workers
- Emergency Services
- Education and Early Childcare
- Public Transit (New)
- Janitorial/Custodial (New)
A full breakdown of the occupations by sector is available at Los Angeles County's Public Health webpage How to Make an Appointment.
 Brighter days lie ahead for El Monte residents and the San Gabriel Valley!
Today, in partnership with the City of El Monte and East Valley Community Health Center, the First District launched a new community vaccination site in El Monte! This week's soft launch will serve 2,000 residents and is anticipated to ramp up as more vaccine supply becomes available. This site is only open to El Monte residents and open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
El Monte residents who are eligible for the vaccine can make an appointment at: emvaccine.c-rep.co or call the Jack Crippen Senior Center at (626) 580-2210.
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 Last week, Los Angeles County received the first shipment of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine. Similar to Pfizer & Moderna, it is 100% effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. It also only requires one dose.
However, there are a number of questions about the Janssen vaccine and whether it may be less effective than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines because of its lower reported vaccine efficacy during clinical trials.
Such head-to-head comparisons of the vaccines are not valid for several reasons, including that the clinical trials for the three vaccines were done at different points in time. The Pfizer and Moderna trials were done earlier, when there were few of the virus variants circulating. In contrast, the Johnson and Johnson trial was conducted later, when the variants of concern were circulating at much higher levels.
The best vaccine is the one prevents death from COVID-19, which each vaccine does with 100% efficacy.
Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about novel coronavirus:
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
California Department of Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC in Spanish
World Health Organization
LA County residents can also call 2-1-1.
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