LA's Already Bad Vaccine Backlog Could Get Worse In March

Vaccine supplies are already limited around Southern California, but they could soon become even more sparse.

That's because a lot more people are about to become eligible.

Starting March 1: L.A. county will open eligibility to more than one million essential workers, including teachers, school staff, child care workers, food and agriculture workers, and law enforcement personnel.

Starting March 15th: The state has directed providers to make shots available to anyone ages 16-64 with a qualifying underlying health condition, including cancer, Down syndrome and pregnancy.

These changes will further strain supply, said County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer:

What changes in April? Ferrer said we’re expecting more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines from the federal government and the approval of a third vaccine, from Johnson & Johnson, which could happen before the end of this month. Doses for the new vaccine could possibly even ship out in March (fingers crossed).

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