All Californians 16+ Will Be Eligible For Vaccine April 15

CALIFORNIA — All Californians 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 15.

Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement Thursday morning at an Orange County vaccination site. Californians 50 and older will be able to sign up for a vaccination appointment beginning April 1, he added.

Effective immediately, the governor also said that anyone 16 or older who accompanies a currently eligible family member for vaccination may also receive the vaccine. "We will accommodate the family member, no questions asked," Newsom said.

This expanded eligibility comes as the state anticipates a significant increase in COVID-19 vaccine supply. Just last week, Newsom told reporters that all Californians would be eligible for the vaccine in early May.

"The light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter," Newsom said in a tweet.

California’s supply of COVID-19 vaccines is expected to significantly increase in the coming weeks. Now, while we remain focused on equity, we can extend vaccine eligibility to Californians aged 50+ starting April 1 and all individuals 16+ starting April 15. #VaccinateALL58 pic.twitter.com/9Ncxi5sLyF
— CA Public Health (@CAPublicHealth) March 25, 2021

California expects to receive 2.5 million doses in the first half of April and another 3 million doses in the second half of the month.

The state currently receives about 1.8 million vaccine doses per week and can administer 3 million doses per week, but it is working to administer 4 million vaccines per week by April's end, the governor's office said in a news release.

Nearly 16 million vaccines had been administered to Californians as of Thursday.

Californians are inching closer to putting the pandemic in their rearview mirror, but should not let their guards down, California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said in statement. The public should continue to wear masks and observe public health measures, he added.

The Golden State has seen more than 3.5 million COVID-19 cases as of Thursday since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 57,000 Californians have died as a result of the coronavirus.

Learn more about how to sign up for a vaccine and see who is currently eligible here.

NEW: CA is expanding eligibility for the #COVID19 vaccine.

Beginning April 1, Californians 50+ will be able to sign up for an appointment.

Beginning April 15, eligibility will be expanded to everyone 16 and older.

The light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter.
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 25, 2021

— Patch Editor Toni McAllister contributed to this report

For more news and information about the vaccine rollout in California, visit Patch's information hub. Also, be sure to check out How To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In California.