(Image: Slide from zoom recording. Top corner says Vaccine Information Session, and right corner is a square with a white woman with a stethoscope, Dr. Margaret Wheeler. The slide reads: Compare Vaccine Risk to COVID-19 Risk, Compare el riesgo de la vacuna al riesgo del COVID-19. In the middle is a see-saw, with a stick figure on each side and a question mark in the middle. On the left reads: COVID-19 Disease, Enfermeded de COVID-19, Over 530,000 deaths. On the rights reads: Vaccine side effects, Efectos secundarios de la vacuna, 0 deaths. A caption on the bottom reads: “And, in my mind, the balance is way on the side of getting the vaccine. And why is that, in January in California alone we were having 500 people die a day.”)
SDA’s Vaccine Sign-Up and Information Session, April 8, 2021 can be viewed here. The event features SF and Alameda County doctors, nurses, and public health experts on vaccine safety and effectiveness, and resources for getting vaccinated. All links are included below.
As of March 15, people with disabilities and other conditions that put them at high-risk for COVID are eligible to sign up for a vaccine in California, without needing documentation.
High-risk conditions include diabetes, heart or lung conditions, pregnancy, higher weight, developmental disabilities, and more. All IHSS consumers and Regional Center clients are eligible, and in San Francisco and Alameda County, all unhoused people and incarcerated people are eligible.
To sign up, go to https://myturn.ca.gov, or call 1-833-422-4255 M-F 8 am to 8 pm and Sat-Sun 8 am to 5 pm. Keep checking for appointments. Sometimes appointments are added late at night and they disappear quickly. Or try https://www.vaccinateca.com/.
Kaiser patients: now starting homebound visits! Call you Kaiser doctor or look on kp.org.
Sutter patients: Click here or call (844) 987-6115, Monday – Friday, 7:00 am – 6:00 pm and Saturday – Sunday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.
San Francisco Vaccine Call Center: 628-652-2700
People with disabilities and older adults (including homebound people!) can call the Vaccine Call Center 628-652-2700 for assistance Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm. During non-business hours people can leave messages which will be returned the next day (even on weekends). Call center staff have access to appointments reserved for people with disabilities and can assist people with accessing other websites.
New SF vaccine clinics for disabled people (including disabled seniors):
- Lighthouse for the Blind Vaccination Clinics: Fridays, April 2 – May 7. They provide dedicated services for the people with blindness/low vision, and welcome all people with disabilities and their caregivers. Appointments can be booked through the Vaccine Call Center. 628-652-2700 (J&J, at least right now)
- University of the Pacific Vaccine Clinic. Next clinic April 10, then TBD. They provide services for people with Intellectual and/or Developmental disabilities, but are open to all people with disabilities. Appointments can be booked online, and the Vaccine Call Center 628-652-2700 can also provide assistance. (Moderna)
- University of San Francisco, in Partnership with Kaiser Permanente: April 14 – 29. Program to provide vaccines for people with disabilities and older adults. The site is fully accessible. Walk-through, English and Spanish. Appointments can be booked through the Vaccine Call Center 628-652-2700. You do NOT need to be a Kaiser member to participate.
Free taxi rides to vaccination appointments in SF are available through the Essential Trip Card program, and Lyft vouchers are available for seniors and disabled people. Contact cathy@sfcommunityliving.org for details.
Also in San Francisco: City College SF, drive-through and walk-through available. And Glide Memorial Church is piloting a vaccination site for Tenderloin residents!
If you live in Alameda County, look here or call 510-208-4VAX (English Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese).
- Fill out the form on the website to ask for notification.
- Homebound options are included.
- Fremont High School in the Fruitvale and Hayward Adult School are county-run sites, focusing on neighborhoods nearby, but also open to seniors and people with disabilities.
- Look for a Coliseum appointment on myturn.ca.gov
For additional vaccination information, take a look at:
- Fact sheet from the state of California
- Information on eligibility in San Francisco, which is broader than the state.
- Information on eligibility in Alameda County
- Toolkit from California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
- Vaccine updates from SF Community Living Campaign
- DREDF FAQ for people with disabilities
Statement on Equitable Vaccination for People at High Risk for COVID in California
Download as PDF
Local and State Notifications and Information
- COVID-19 vaccine in San Francisco:
- You can sign up to get notified when you are eligible for the vaccine, at sf.gov/vaccinenotify BUT DO NOT WAIT TO BE CONTACTED. You may be able to follow up and get the vaccine sooner.
- COVID-19 information from Alameda County Public Health
- COVID-19 vaccine information from the state of California
- More information about accessing vaccines
Presentations, Past Events, and Fact Sheets
- Talks about Seniors & COVID with Dr. Anna Chodos, UCSF
- Video from Online Action for Vaccine Equity, February 1, 2021
- Presentation on COVID pandemic at the conference of the Senior Services Coalition of Alameda County, January 29, 2021
- Video from Online Action for Vaccine Equity, February 1, 2021
- CDC Presentation on COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation, January 27, 2021
- Video from Disability Voices United Town Hall on COVID Vaccines for People with Disabilities
- Vaccinate CA: up-to-date information about who is distributing vaccine
- Fact Sheet on Covid-19 Vaccine from City & County of San Francisco
- FLARE Project: Powerful quotes from people at high-risk for COVID
Articles & Media Coverage
- If You’ve Been Working from Home, Please Wait for Your Vaccine, Scientific American, February 2, 2021
- California’s age-based vaccine system angers people with disabilities, SF Chronicle, January 28, 2021
- SDA ED Jessica Lehman talking on KPFA’s UpFront about the need to get vaccines to disabled ppl of all ages, including seniors, focusing on Black and Latinx disabled ppl who are disproportionately affected., January 28, 2021
- The urgency of vaccines for people with disabilities | 48 hills, January 28, 2021
- Op-Ed: Why is California’s age-based COVID-19 vaccine policy overlooking disabled people like me? LA Times, January 29, 2021
- COVID Vaccine Rollout Pits Fairness against Speed, Scientific American, January 26, 2021
- Black Americans Are Getting Vaccinated at Lower Rates Than White Americans, Scientific American, January 20, 2021
- CDC COVID-19 Hospitalization and Death by Age (shows hugely increased risk based on age)
- COVID-19 Mortality Risk in Down Syndrome: Results From a Cohort Study Of 8 Million Adults | Annals of Internal Medicine (risk for people with Down syndrome)
- Disability status differences in deaths involving COVID-19, adjusted for socio-demographic factors from the UK office for National Statistics
- (increased risk for people with disabilities)
- Huge Gaps in Vaccine Data Make It Next to Impossible to Know Who Got the Shots, The Guardian and Kaiser Health News, January 28, 2021
Social Media Hashtags:
#HighRiskCA #NoBodyIsDisposable
The source of this list is resources is a living docment and is constantly being updated. Please visit the document on Google Drive for the most up-to-date information.
