AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File

Governor Newsom held a virtual press conference Monday afternoon to address the coronavirus pandemic and California’s plan to distribute the coronavirus vaccine. California has 1.29 million doses of the vaccine with 611,500 additional doses on the way and has already administered 454,306 doses.

#COVID19 UPDATE:

– New cases today: 29,633

– Average daily tests: 285,500

– Average test positivity rate: 12.4%

– Hospitalizations: up 18% last 2 weeks

– ICU: up 22% last 2 weeks

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) January 4, 2021

According the office of the governor, a group of experts and a group of community representatives work together to make sure vaccines are prioritized fairly.

All COVID-19 vaccines, including their administration, are free. Both the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine require 2 doses. The Moderna vaccine doses are 28 days apart and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine doses are 21 days apart. The general public is expected to be able to get the vaccine Spring 2021, but the date is subject to change.

Phase 1A:

• About 3 million people
• Healthcare workers
• Long-term care residents

Phase 1B:

1B Tier One:

• Individuals 75 and older
• Those at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: education, childcare, emergency services, and food and agriculture

1B Tier Two:

• Individuals 65 -74 years of age
• Those at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: transportation and logistics; industrial, commercial, residential, and sheltering facilities and services; critical manufacturing
• Congregate settings with outbreak risk: incarcerated and homeless

Phase 1 C:

• Individuals 50 -64 years of age
• People 16-64 years of age and have an underlying health condition or disability which increases their risk of severe COVID-19
• Those at risk of exposure at work in the following sectors: water and wastewater; defense; energy; chemical and hazardous materials; communications and IT; financial services; government operations / community-based essential functions

Watch the full press conference here.