To improve statewide vaccinations, Gov. Newsom announces actions to simplify, standardize and address supply needs

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a series of improvements to the state’s vaccination plan recently. Incorporating lessons learned from efforts to increase the pace of vaccination, these new steps will make it easier for people to know when they are eligible for vaccination and how to make an appointment, accelerate the administration of vaccines on hand and improve the state’s ability to track vaccination data.

California has tripled the pace of vaccinations from 43,459 per day as of Jan. 4, to 131,620 as of Jan. 15. The 10-day effort to ramp up vaccinations exposed key improvements needed to administer even more vaccines when increased supply becomes available. Newsom announced actions to address these challenges by simplifying the eligibility framework, standardizing vaccine information and data and ensuring the available supply of vaccines is administered as quickly as possible.

“Vaccines are the light at the end of the tunnel, and I am focused on taking the steps needed to get Californians safely vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Newsom said. “Our public health and health care systems have done heroic work administering more than 2.4 million vaccinations thus far. To reach the pace needed to vaccinate all Californians in a timely manner, we are simplifying and standardizing the process statewide.”

Moving forward, there will be a single statewide standard and movement through the tiers. The state will continue through those age 65 and older, health care workers and prioritize emergency services, food and agriculture workers, teachers and school staff. From there, the state will transition to age-based eligibility, allowing California to scale up and down quickly, while ensuring vaccines go to disproportionately impacted communities.

Leveraging California’s spirit of innovation and technology, the state is also launching My Turn, a new system for Californians to learn when they are eligible to be vaccinated and a place to make an appointment when eligible as well as a mechanism to easily track vaccination data. Through My Turn, individuals will be able to sign up for a notification when they are eligible to make an appointment and schedule one when it is their turn. Providers will be able to use My Turn to automatically share data on vaccines received and administered with the state, reducing lag times.

Technology from California companies Salesforce and Skedulo, and implementation by Accenture, are the foundation for My Turn. It is currently being piloted in Los Angeles and San Diego counties and is expected to be available statewide in early February. Based on recent learnings, the governor has also directed his administration’s vaccine team to move to a unified statewide network that aligns the health care system, providers and counties with the strengths of each part of the health care system and ensures equitable and efficient vaccine administration, with a focus on communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. This effort will be implemented in partnership with counties and local health districts. It will control variability and maintain consistency and accountability. The details of the system will be forthcoming this week.

To increase available supply based on existing in-state vaccines, the state Department of Public Health announced a process that will allow for the reallocation of vaccines from providers who have not used at least 65% of their available supply on hand for a week and have not submitted a plan for administering the remaining vaccine to prioritized populations within four days of notice.

Increasing the vaccine supply is the state’s top priority for the federal government as California accelerates the pace of vaccination. To date, California has received more than 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, roughly enough for 2 million people at two doses each. California has 3 million health care workers and nursing home residents, 6 million people 65 and older and 2.5 million Californians who work in education and child care, emergency services and food and agriculture.

In a Jan. 19 letter to President-elect Joe Biden, the governor named vaccines as California’s paramount priority with the Biden administration. At the ramped-up pace, California vaccinates about 120,000 Californians a day and is on pace to deliver toward Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccines in 100 days, if supply persists, and the Newsom administration is committed to striving to vaccinate even more people.

Submitted by the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom.