The California Department of Public Health has announced that beginning March 15, those with serious health conditions between the ages of 16 and 64 can be vaccinated.
These conditions include:
- Cancer
- Chronic kidney disease (stage 4 or above)
- Chronic pulmonary disease
- Down syndrome
- Immunocompromised immune system from solid organ transplant
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease
- Heart failure
- Coronary artery disease
- Cardiomyopathies (excluding hypertension)
- Severe obesity
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus
It also includes people with developmental or other severe high-risk disabilities if:
- The individual is likely to develop severe life-threatening illness or death from contracting COVID-19
- Contracting 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
Governor Newsom has acknowledged that Californians with developmental disabilities have not received enough vaccines, saying, “We’ve got to take care of the most vulnerable. And people in the developmentally disabled community, with all the unique challenges and opportunities that present them in their lives, these vaccines need to be prioritized.”
This is great news for disabled people and those who care for them.