California’s new prioritization of residents aged 65 and older will likely accelerate Covid-19 vaccine distribution, but create more inequity by putting some of the state’s most vulnerable populations further back in line. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday gave new priority to the 65-74-year-old cohort, which has some 3.5 million Californians. The move not only increases the pool before California has finished vaccinating 2.4 million health care workers, but it upends the state’s monthslong effort to craft a complex structure designed to balance racial and socioeconomic factors with exposure and health risks.
California’s vaccine acceleration could leave some communities behind
Publisher: Politico