County opens vaccines to age 65+

All previous categories will still be eligible

As of Monday, all Mendocino County residents 65 and older are eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, health officials announced this week.

This change comes as some vaccine events in some “areas are finding it difficult to fill schedules within the current list of those eligible” to receive a dose, a Feb. 22 press release states.

The county will continue to vaccinate all previous categories eligible to receive the vaccine, which includes “Phase IA, all tiers, and Phase IB, Tier 1, including those over 75, EMS, school and childcare staff, as well as food and agricultural workers, which includes people directly involved in growing, harvesting, production, preparing, selling, cooking and serving food products as well as cannabis and lumber.

“At this time, the county has vaccinated a large number who have desired the vaccine in these groups,” the press release explains. “(And) the demand from these groups continues to fill vaccine events in some areas of the county, (but) now we must expand our criteria (to include people over 65 years of age.”

Officials note that identification is required “only to confirm age and identity. If eligible for occupational reasons, a pay stub, note from current or past employer, or inclusion on a list, a business card, or receipt that supports eligibility are required.”

On March 15, county officials note that they will expand eligibility even further to include those with certain serious medical conditions “which increase their vulnerability to Covid-19.”

According to guidelines set by the California Department of Public Health, those conditions are:

• Cancer

• Chronic Kidney Disease (stage 4 or more)

• COPD, which is Oxygen dependent

• Diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2 with Hemoglobin A1c >7.5)

• Heart disease (heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, not including those with hypertension only)

• Immunocompromised state due to disease or medications

• Pregnancy

• Severe obesity (Bmi>40kg/m2)

• Sickle cell disease

• Disabilities, physical or mental which increase their risk of severe Covid, or would cause problems caring for them if they contracted Covid-19. This could include Down’s Syndrome and other congenital illnesses.

Proof of these conditions should be presented in the form of a note (not requiring diagnosis, for privacy reasons) from a health care provider.