Sacramento business owners hesitant, hopeful for eased restrictions – KCRA Sacramento

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BACK TO YOU. TY: BACK TO OUR CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE. MILLIONS MORE CALIFORNIANS ARE NOW ELIGIBLE TO GET VACCINATED. TONI: THE STATE IS OPENING UP THE REQUIREMENTS TO THOSE WITH CERTAIN HEALTH CONDITIONS AND DISABILITIES, AS WELL AS THOSE EMPLOYED IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES. TEO TORRES IS WORKING FROM HOME. HE HAS MORE ON WHO CAN NOW GET THE SHOT. GOOD MORNING. TEO: GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU. THIS WILL ALLOW AN ESTIMATED FOUR AND A HALF MILLION MORE CALIFORNIANS TO GET THE VACCINE. THERE IS SPECIFIC CRITERIA. LET’S GO THROUGH THESE HEALTH CONDITIONS. ACCORDING TO THE STATE’S DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, ANYONE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 64 WITH CANCER. KIDNEY DISEASE, PULMONARY DISEASE, DOWN SYNDROME, ORGAN TRANSPLANTS, PREGNANCY, SICKLE CELL DISEASE, HEART CONDITIONS, OBESITY, AND TYPE TWO DIABET ALSO NO QUALIFIES. PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL OR HIGH-RISK DISABILITY ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE. DR. VANESSA WALKER SAYS ITS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE AT HIGH-RISK TO GET THE VACCINE. >> I HAVE BEEN TAKING CARE OF PATIENTS WITH COVID FOR A LONG TIME NOW AND ITS NOT ALL ABOUT AGE. I’VE HAD MANY PATIENTS IN THEIR 50’S, 40’S, WITH DIABETES, OBESITY AND THEY ARE FREQUENTLY ON VENTILATORS, HIGH-RESOURCE UTILIZERS, VERY VERY SICK, OFTEN TIMES DI SO, I THINK IT IS VERY GOOD TO GET THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY AT RISK OF GETTING SEVERE COVID OR HOSPITALIZED AND EVEN DYING, LET’S GET THEM VACCINATED. TEO: ELIGIBILITY IS ALSO EXPANDING TO INCLUDE PEOPLE IN JAIL, PRISON, OR TREATMENT FACILITIES AND THE HOMELESS. UTILITY WORKERS WHO RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES, PUBLIC TRANSIT WORKERS, JANITORS AND DISASTER SERVICE WORKERS, MASSAGE THERAPISTS AND LIBRARIANS WILL ALSO BE ELIGIBLE, STARTING TODAY. LAST WEEK, THE STATE RELEASED GUIDELINES THAT SAID PEOPLE WITH THESE CONDITIONS OR DISABILITIES WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION TO VERIFY THEIR DIAGNOSIS. BUT THEY MAY BE ASKED TO SIGN A SELF-ATTESTATION THAT THEY MEET THE CRITERIA. BACK TO YOU. TONI: THANK YOU. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS NEARLY 11.8 MILLION VACCINE DOSES HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA. THAT’S ABOUT 75% OF THE 15 MILLION DOSES THAT HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO THE STATE, AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS THERE WERE JUST OVER 1400 CASES REPORTED STATE-WIDE ON SATURDAY. THAT’S THE LOWEST NUMBER IN MONTHS. THE 7-DAY POSITIVITY RATE IS DOWN TO 2%. THAT’S THE LOWEST IT’S EVER BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. AS A RESULT, STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS EXPECT ANOTHER 13 COUNTIES WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE TO THE RED TIER TOMORROW. ON THE LIST, SACRAMENTO, SAN JOAQUIN, AND YUBA COUNTIES. WHILE IT’S NOT OFFICIAL YET, THE NUMBERS APPEAR TO BE ON PACE WITH RE-OPENING, JUST IN TIME FOR SAINT PATRICK’S DAY. MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAVE PROMISED TO BRING MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE RED TIER. YESTERDAY THE NATOMAS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTIFIED PARENTS THAT IF THE COUNTY MOVES INTO RED TOMORROW, THEY WILL REOPEN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS NEXT MONDAY, WITH MINIMUM DAYS. THOSE WHO OPTED TO CONTINUE DISTANCE LEARNING WO