On Dec. 5, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released its recommended guidelines for allocating the COVID-19 vaccine during Phase 1-A of statewide distribution. The guidelines were developed by California’s COVID-19 Drafting Guidelines Workgroup and Community Vaccine Advisory Committee using a phased approach to allocating the initially limited vaccine supply among prioritized populations.
California anticipates having 327,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine between approximately Dec. 12 and Dec. 15, with an additional 700,000 to 1 million doses in late December. The guidelines provide that during the first allocation phase, known as Phase 1-A, the vaccine should be offered as follows:
Because the amount of vaccine available is expected to be insufficient for the number of people in these prioritized populations during Phase 1-A, the guidelines recommend that local health departments sub-prioritize the doses allocated to them as needed to match the level of available supplies. The recommended categories for sub-prioritization are: (1) type of facility or role, which is divided into three tiers; (2) location of the facility; and (3) attributes of the individuals.
ASCs with questions about vaccine allocation should reach out to their local health department. Allocation guidelines for prioritizing populations for later phases of the vaccine distribution are being developed. CASA will continue to monitor and distribute these additional guidelines as they are released.