News

Key Messages

• Effective today, County residents with one or more eligible high-risk medical conditions or disabilities as well as those who live or work in congregate living spaces are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination; however, vaccine supply remains very limited. 
• The CDC has released recommendations for fully vaccinated persons including revised recommendations for quarantine in healthcare and non-healthcare settings. New LAC DPH guidance for the public is now available at  After You are Fully Vaccinated.

COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility for People with High-Risk Medical Conditions or Disabilities

The state has now opened vaccine eligibility to persons aged 16-64 years of age with one or more medical conditions or disabilities that put them at higher risk for serious COVID-19 illness, specifically: 

• 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%
• People who, as a result of a developmental or other significant high-risk disability, meet one or more of the following criteria:
  • 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.

See the CDPH Provider Bulletin for more information, including a fact sheet for patients.

 Below are some key points regarding this new phase of vaccine eligibility:

• Until the vaccine supply improves, there will not be enough appointments for all eligible persons and hardest hit communities are being prioritized when possible.
• Providers should use their clinical judgement to vaccinate individuals age 16-64 years who are deemed to be at the highest risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 as a direct result of one or more of the eligible conditions.
• Providers who have been allocated vaccine are highly encouraged to vaccinate their own patients. Consider reaching out to your patients at high-risk of complications.
• County residents with an eligible high-risk condition or disability without access to documentation from a healthcare provider may self-attest that they have an eligible condition.  
• The state is recommending that residents who meet these eligibility requirements first check-in with their healthcare providers, but that they also leverage pharmacies, myturn.ca.gov, or county portals to find appointments.
• In LA County, patients can visit VaccinateLACounty.com and click on "How to Make an Appointment" to look for an appointment, view eligibility and documentation requirements, and download a self-attestation template. Note: proof of residence in LA County is required. Advise patients who are 16 or 17 years of age to find an appointment at a location that offers Pfizer vaccine.
• Visit the Provider COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization and Allocation webpage for the most current information. 

Fully Vaccinated Persons and Quarantine
A person is considered fully vaccinated >2 weeks following the receipt of:

• the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna)
• one dose of a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson/Janssen).

The following recommendations have been updated since the LAHAN on February 18, 2021.

Fully vaccinated persons who are a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case:

• Do not need to quarantine or test as long as they are asymptomatic. [Note that the 90-day window for exemption from quarantine has been removed.]
• Should be instructed to monitor their health for 14 days after the last contact with the infected person. If they develop symptoms consistent with possible COVID-19, they should be instructed to self-isolate pending clinical evaluation and SARS-CoV-2 testing, if indicated. 

Fully vaccinated healthcare workers with high-risk exposures:

• Do not need to be restricted from work following their exposure as long as they are asymptomatic. [Note that this is now regardless of staffing shortages.]
• Should continue to follow all current infection prevention and control recommendations including source control, daily monitoring, and testing as outlined in the LAC DPH Healthcare Personnel Monitoring guidelines.

CDC Resources:

• Public Health Recommendations for Vaccinated Persons
• Updated Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations in Response to COVID-19 Vaccination
• Science Brief

Visit the LAC DPH COVID-19 Hub and  Vaccination Hub