California gov.: COVID-19 vaccine equity a priority

Gov. Gavin Newsom is pledging more efforts to boost the availability of coronavirus doses with vaccine equity a priority, while he says vaccine "scarcity" remains a challenge for California and other states.

Counties in California and other places in the U.S. are trying to ensure they vaccinate people in largely Black, Latino and working-class communities that have borne the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic.

Nationwide, states are struggling to distribute vaccines equitably even as officials try to define what equity means. They're debating what risk factors gets someone to the head of the line: those in poverty, communities of colour, their job or if they have a disability. Others simply want to vaccinate as many people as possible, as soon as possible.

In California, which has prioritized seniors and health care workers, Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a federal partnership for mass vaccination sites set to open next week in Oakland and East Los Angeles.

Newsom also says a new state vaccine distribution system will pay providers to offer shots in vulnerable neighbourhoods and communities of colour. Insurer Blue Shield of California will run the program and collect demographics on who's getting the shots.

San Francisco is reserving some vaccines for seniors in the two ZIP codes hit hardest by the pandemic. In Southern California, Riverside County has partnered with an immigrant advocacy group to vaccinate farmworkers. Nationwide, states are struggling to distribute vaccines equitably even as officials try to define what equity means.

Newsom said Tuesday that mass vaccination sites in Oakland and Los Angeles will be for people living in working-class communities and warned wealthier people to stay away.