COVID PM: How will eligibility and access mesh? Are we still on course for orange tier?

Every day that passes seems to bring some positive developments with it at the moment. As I knock on the arm of the wooden chair I sit in, let us comb through today’s highlights…

➤ ELIGIBILITY GAINS: The state and county are still working on supply issues, but today’s expansion of California vaccine eligibility seems like a big step forward.
➤ ORANGE STILL AHEAD: There is nothing to indicate a step backward is imminent, county health officials confirmed, as heading into the orange tier remains on course.
➤ VACCINE TRICKS: We’re moving into the stage where many more people will be eligible but no one is quite sure how a surge of interested parties will meet supply issues. Lookout and our LA Times partner have some tools for being prepared for the hunt below.

To the headlines…

Vaccine eligibility will expand to 50-plus but a supply issue remains

VACCINE WATCH: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that starting April 1, people 50 and older will be eligible to make appointments for COVID-19 vaccines — and people 16 and older will be eligible to make appointments starting on April 15. But don’t expect the floodgates of vaccine availability to open immediately. County health officer Dr. Gail Newel said officials here expect a “very slow increase” in supply through April, with a substantial increase in May. More from Mallory Pickett on that topic here.

UPDATED LOCAL VACCINATION GUIDE: Between drug stores; the multicounty entities (MCEs) Dignity Health/Dominican, Sutter Health/PAMF and Kaiser; and county government options, here is the latest update on the various options that exist and who is eligible at the moment.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

How to get a COVID-19 vaccine even if you don’t qualify for one yet (without cheating) (LA Times)

Here are a bunch of things you can do to try to get a COVID vaccine in California (LA Times)

‘All systems are go’ for orange tier

COVID TODAY: County health officials gave their weekly COVID-19 update today, and confirmed that “all systems are go for orange tier next week,” as Newel put it. Newel said the Blueprint metrics actually increased slightly from last week in both the case rate and the positivity rates, but the numbers remained very small and firmly within the orange tier range. Mallory breaks down the presser and the data here.

More from here & elsewhere

➤ Some people are lying to get the vaccine, and it’s testing their friendships (Washington Post)
➤ Should US share its COVID-19 vaccine supply with the world? The White House says it will – but not yet. (USA Today)
➤ What to do if you’re vaccinated but your kids aren’t (CNN)
➤ Study says Covid vaccines provide protection for pregnant and nursing women — and newborns (CNN)
➤ Zero COVID questions: News intrudes on Biden agenda (USA Today)
➤ A mouthful of nickels? Some say they taste metal after a Covid-19 vaccination (NBC News)
➤ Trying to go to Disneyland’s reopening? It’s going to be harder to buy park tickets than you think. (SF Gate)
➤ What happens to those who don’t get the COVID-19 vaccine? (SF Gate)

Lookout wants to know

Now that the new vaccine guidelines are set to roll out, what’s your strategy for getting vaccinated?

Have a question for us to try and get answered? Submit it here or just reply to this email.

Get schooled on reopenings

GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED | School reopenings in Santa Cruz County: When it comes to education post-pandemic, parents, educators and students have endless questions. So Lookout, in partnership with Event Santa Cruz, is giving you a chance to run your questions by two top Santa Cruz County Office of Education officials: Superintendent Faris Sabbah and Director of School Safety Jennifer Buesing.

➤ When: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30
➤ Where: Zoom
➤ Cost: FREE
➤ Register and submit your questions ahead of time here.

See you tomorrow.

Mark Conley
Deputy Managing Editor