COVID Vaccine Eligibility Expanding Next Week

JOINT PRESS RELEASE

County of Inyo

Northern Inyo Hospital District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:

Carma Roper, Inyo County Public Information Officer croper@inyocounty.us

Barbara Laughon, NIHD Public Information Officer Barbara.Laughon@nih.org

COVID Vaccine Eligibility Expanding Next Week

INYO COUNTY, March 12, 2021 – Beginning March 15, Inyo County will join the State of California to expand eligibility for the COVID vaccine to individuals aged 16-64 who could become extremely sick from COVID-19 as they have the following severe health conditions:

• Cancer, current with a weakened immune system
• Chronic kidney disease, Stage 4 or above
• Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen-dependent
• Down syndrome
• Solid-organ transplant, leading to a weakened immune system
•  Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease
• Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (but not hypertension)
• Severe obesity (Body Mass Index ≥ 40 kg/m2)
•  Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%

OR

If as a result of a developmental or other severe high-risk disability, one or more of the following applies:

• The individual is likely to develop severe life-threatening illness or death from COVID-19 infection
•  Acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual’s ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and survival
• Providing adequate and timely COVID care will be particularly challenging as a result of the individual’s disability

Vaccination sites in Inyo County continue to vaccinate persons in the 1A and 1B Tier 1 categories, including: health care workers, people over the age of 65, workers in food and agriculture, emergency services, and education and childcare industries. For more information, please see the California Department of Public Health website at https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/

How Do I Sign Up?

If you believe you are eligible for the vaccine, you may sign up and request notification when appointments are available by going to https://myturn.ca.gov/ . Additional appointments may open up via different appointment links and be announced when available to people on the Inyo County registration list. You can sign up for the Inyo County registration list at https://www.inyocounty.us/covid-19/vaccine-information You should be prepared to provide identification and proof of your eligibility at your appointment.