Californians with disabilities are not prioritized for COVID vaccine, and fear for their lives
By Caroline Hart
Advocates say disabled community not recognized as vaccination priority
Advocates say California s COVID vaccine plan does not give the disabled community the priority it deserves. KTVU s Tom Vacar reports on the inequity.
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - People with disabilities in California are not prioritized in the current plan for an equitable vaccine rollout, say experts, advocates, and caretakers. When Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan last Monday to improve statewide vaccinations, he excluded, in large part, people with disabilities from the framework. Many people with disabilities, especially people who need caretakers to live independently, are at a high risk of dying from COVID.
With a multilayered approach to detect and prevent the spread of Covid-19, campus leaders at the University of California, San Diego say they have created something rare in higher education this year: a safe on-campus experience for thousands of students.
Even with Covid-19 spreading rapidly in Southern California, about 10,000 students are living on UC San Diego’s La Jolla campus this year. After avoiding any significant Covid-19 outbreaks during the 11-week fall quarter, the university welcomed students back this month and resumed instruction for the winter quarter.
Colleges with that many students living on campus are an uncommon sight this academic year. This month, Stanford University abruptly reversed its plans to allow freshmen and sophomores to move into dorms this quarter. Most campuses in California’s two four-year university systems, the UC and California State University, are also housing very few students.