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County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Communications & Public Affairs
313 N. Figueroa Street, Room 806
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 240-8144
Fax: (213) 481-1406
media@ph.lacounty.gov
The supply of COVID-19 vaccines will be limited for the first few months. This means that the vaccine will be offered to different groups of people at different times. When enough vaccine is ready, it will be offered to everyone. Please see the phases below for estimated time frames*. The phases will overlap so, for example, a person in Phase 1A may get their second dose of vaccine at the same time as a person in Phase 1B gets their first dose.
Sign up for the Public Health COVID-19 Vaccine Email Newsletter and/or get more information by visiting VaccinateLACounty.com.
All groups in Phase 1A are now being offered vaccine.
Vaccination began in mid-December. It is estimated that everyone in Phase 1A will have been offered at least one dose of vaccine by late January/early February*.
Note: Vaccination is only available to the healthcare workers listed in Phase 1A who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials. (Low risk healthcare workers such as administrative support staff WITHOUT routine in-person patient contact, will be offered vaccination in Phase 1B Tier2).
Vaccine is not yet available to persons listed in Phase 1B, except for persons age 65 and older.
Persons age 65 and overPersons age 65 and over are now eligible for vaccination. For the rest of Phase 1B, it is estimated that vaccination will begin in early February and that everyone in this phase should have been offered at least one dose of vaccine by late March*.
The following prioritization is from the California COVID-19 Vaccine Plan
1B Tier 1
1B Tier 2
Vaccine is not yet available to persons listed in Phase 1C.
It is estimated that vaccination will begin for those in Phase 1C in March and that everyone in this phase should have been offered at least one dose of vaccine by late April/early May*.
The following prioritization is from the California COVID-19 Vaccine Plan
Vaccine is not yet available to persons listed in Phase 2.
It is estimated that vaccination will begin for those in Phase 2 by mid-May or early June*.
*Note: These timings are estimates and may change according to factors such as vaccine supply and the state prioritization requirements. The phases and tiers will overlap.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is an independent panel of medical and public health experts brought together by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make recommendations about vaccine policies. The ACIP recommends to the CDC which people should be in each phase. While states often follow the ACIP recommendations, final decisions about when different groups will get the vaccine are made by each state. In California, those decisions are being made by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health refines the state’s plan and decides exactly how each phase of vaccine distribution will be carried out: where vaccines will be given, who will be giving the vaccines, and how the county will make sure everyone has a chance to get a vaccine when it is offered to people in their phase.
These goals and principles are used to guide decisions about the order in which people are vaccinated
Goals – what we are trying to achieve:
Principles –the guidelines that will help us get to our goals:
In addition, there are other things to consider, like how to offer the vaccine in a way that reaches as many of the people in each phase as possible. This is complicated, especially since we don’t want people to gather in big crowds where they can’t be six feet apart when they get vaccinated.
Healthcare workers and people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are being offered the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The CDC has recommended who should be in Phases 1A and 1B but these groupings may be modified by the State. Frontline essential workers were chosen because they cannot work from home and provide critically important services and are at high risk of being exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Older adults, and adults with medical conditions are given priority because they are more likely to become very sick if they get COVID-19. We will share more information when it is available from the CDC and the State.
Children will not be offered vaccine in the near future. The Pfizer vaccine has only been authorized by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for people age 16 and over and the Moderna vaccine is only authorized for people age 18 and over.
Current situation – residents of long- term care facilities and healthcare workers
Note: Healthcare workers include clinical staff such as doctors, nurses, and therapists as well as people who work in other areas that may put them at risk like laboratories or hospital environmental health services. Only healthcare workers at high and medium risk of getting COVID-19 are currently being offered vaccination.
Future groups of people
When vaccine is available to other groups of people, it will likely be given at:
Follow the prevention guidelines you’ve heard about since the pandemic started. You should cover your mouth and nose with a face covering whenever you are around others. Avoid close contact with other people outside your household, especially if they could be sick. Practice physical distancing and wash your hands often. See the guidance for reducing your risk. And note: you still have to follow these steps after you get both doses of vaccine.
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Public Health has made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translation. However, no computerized translation is perfect and is not intended to replace traditional translation methods. If questions arise concerning the accuracy of the information, please refer to the English edition of the website, which is the official version.
