LAC | DPH | COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization and Allocation

Background

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made recommendations on groups of people who should be prioritized to receive COVID-19 vaccine while supply is limited. The state of California created a Priority Population Workgroup to help think through the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic and refine the CDC recommendations specific to the local context.

On this Page 3-5-21

Vaccine Allocation Phases and Tiers
- Phase 1A
- Phase 1B
Severe Health Conditions
Allocation Goals and Principles
References

LA County Vaccine Allocation Phases and Tiers

Green circles show groups that have been, or are being, offered vaccine
Red squares show groups that will be offered vaccine on March 1.

Phase 1A

All groups in Phase 1A are now being offered vaccine.

Vaccination began in mid-December.

Phase 1A Healthcare Workers
How to get vaccinated

Healthcare workers and residents of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs)
Healthcare workers and residents of other long-term care facilities (facilities that provide medical and personal care to adults, such as assisted living facilities and similar settings for older or medically vulnerable individuals, and special needs group living facilities)
Healthcare workers listed* in the Health Care/Public Health Sector of the CA Essential Workforce if they have one of the following occupational risks/critical functions:
- Those at risk of direct patient exposure from their clinical and non-clinical roles
- Those who come into direct contact with the virus through research, development, manufacturing, or testing
- Those who are manufacturing vaccine, therapeutics, devices, supplies or personal protective equipment
Exception: the following Health Care/Public Health Sector workers are not considered eligible for Phase 1A per CDPH Vaccine Allocation Guidelines:
- Workers that manage health plans, billing, and health information
- Workers supporting operations of outdoor recreational facilities for the purpose of facilitating physically distanced personal health and wellness through outdoor exercise
- Cannabis industry employees working in Food and Agriculture for growing, production, storage, transport and distribution (eligible in Phase 1B, Tier 1)
- Workers supporting veterinary services (eligible in Phase 1B, Tier 1)

Phase 1B

All groups in Phase 1B, Tier 1 are now being offered vaccine.

Phase 1B Tier 1
How to get vaccinated

The following prioritization is from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy Phase 1B, Tier 1

Persons 65 years and older
Education and childcare
Those at risk of exposure at work:
- Public Schools (K-12)
- Independent Schools
- Charter Schools
- Daycare and Early Childhood Education
- Contracted Educational Support Staff
- Junior Colleges
- Colleges & Universities, including teaching assistants
- Technical & Trade Schools
- Support staff involved in child/student care, including school bus drivers/monitors, crossing guards
- School sports coaches
- School janitors
Exception: the following people are NOT eligible:
- Private nannies and babysitters are not eligible.
- Homeschooling parents/guardians
- Parents/guardians assisting with cooperative early care education
- Private tutors
- Driver training instructors
Emergency services
Those at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors :
- Police/law enforcement officers
- Emergency Management, including Emergency Operations Center
- National Security
- Fire and Rescue service workers (maritime/aviation emergency rescue, Search and Rescue, Fire)
- Hazardous material response teams (HAZMAT)
- Corrections and Probation officers and workers
- Courts/Legal Counsel & Prosecution staff who are required to be in-person at court routinely and interact with clients in correctional facilities.
  - Includes judges and court administrators/staff, and staff who work in the Public Defender’s Office, Alternate Public Defender, District Attorney’s Office
- Campus and school police
- Rehabilitation and Re-entry
- Federal law enforcement agencies
- Police, Fire and Ambulance Dispatchers
- Security staff to maintain building access control and physical security measures
- DCFS, APS (workers physically responding to abuse and neglect of children, elderly and dependent adults)
- Fusion Center employees, including analysts
- Sworn animal control officers and human officers
- Disaster Service Workers (DSWs) who are working IN PERSON and are actively deployed (not working remotely from home)
Exception: the following people are NOT eligible:
- US postal carriers/mail carriers
- Water utility workers
- Public Works staff
- Cal Trans workers
- Airline flight attendants
- Aerospace workers
- Disaster Service Workers (DSWs) who are working REMOTELY from home (e.g., contact tracers)
Food and agriculture
Those at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors (only on-site workers are eligible):
- Food service workers (including restaurants, fast food, convenience stores)
- Food delivery workers
- Food manufacturing workers
- Grocery store workers
- Pharmacy workers
- Animal agriculture workers including those involved in veterinary health
- Farmworkers
- Veterinarians
- Food and Agriculture-associated port and transportation workers
- Government/Food Assistance program worker (volunteers eligible if working more than 20 hours/week and have a letter from the employer certifying eligibility)
- Catering company worker (not home-based)equipment
Exception: the following people are NOT eligible:
- Equestrian center staff and horse groomers
- Pest control technicians for houses
- Home and garden store workers or suppliers
- Workers supporting the growth and distribution of plants not for commercial human consumption

Severe Health Conditions

Beginning March 15, CDPH has announced that healthcare providers may use their clinical judgment to vaccinate individuals age 16-64 who are deemed to be at the very highest risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 as a direct result of one or more severe health conditions that are listed in the CDPH Provider Bulletin. We are awaiting guidance from CDPH regarding instructions for healthcare providers who cannot vaccinate their own patients

Allocation Goals and Principles

The following are goals and principles guiding the vaccine allocation strategy based on CDC, ACIP, and CDPH recommendations:

Goals:

Decrease death and serious disease
Preserve functioning of necessary healthcare services and the larger society
Reduce the additional burden the disease is having on people already facing healthcare and income disparities

Principles:

Maximize benefits and minimize harms — Respect and care for people using the best available data to promote public health and minimize death and severe illness.
Mitigate health inequities — Reduce health disparities in the burden of COVID-19 disease and death, and make sure everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
Promote justice — Treat affected groups, populations, and communities fairly. Remove unfair, unjust, and avoidable barriers to COVID-19 vaccination.
Promote transparency — Make a decision that is clear, understandable, and open for review. Allow and seek public participation in the creation and review of the decision processes.

Resources

ACIP
Phase 1a Recommendations 12-11-20
Phase 1b and c Interim Recommendations 1-1-21

CDPH
California’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan
Notice to Local Health Officers: Allocation and Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine
Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Guidelines 2-04-21

LAC DPH
COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy Phase 1B, Tier 1 2-26-21

COVID-19 Vaccine

Prioritization & Allocation