How to sign up to find out when it's your turn to get the vaccine in L.A. County

The vaccine is here. Well, sort of.

If you're a healthcare worker or a nursing home resident or staff in Los Angeles County, you are eligible for the vaccine now. It's no longer limited only to front-line medical workers: Healthcare workers like chiropractors, speech therapists, acupuncturists, and people who provide care in mortuaries, pharmacies, dental offices and more are now eligible. (See the county's complete list here.)

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that people 65 and older are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, Hilda Solis, the chairwoman of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, issued an executive order directing health officials to make vaccine appointments available to residents 65 and older starting Thursday.

The county and an affiliated vaccine clinic are letting everyone else sign up to receive an email when it's their turn.

How to sign up

Residents 65 and older can use L.A. County's public health agency website (VaccinateLACounty.com) to make an appointment to be vaccinated by clicking "Click here to book an appointment" or by calling (833) 540-0473 between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

For people under 65 who aren't healthcare workers, go to VaccinateLACounty.com and enter your email address in the box at the top of the page and click "submit." That will sign you up for the county's COVID-19 vaccine email newsletter, which will include updates and information on which groups are eligible to get vaccinated.

Anyone in L.A. County can go to Carbon Health's website (carbonhealth.com/covid-19-vaccines) and enter your line of work, date of birth, and answer whether you have COVID-related health risks. You will be prompted to schedule an appointment if you're eligible, and to join the waitlist if you aren't.

In Orange County, residents 65 and older can sign up for a vaccination appointment through Othena. The Orange County Health Care Agency tweeted that more than 10,000 people signed up on the first day it was available.

Information for other counties:

• Orange

• Ventura: Vaccine updates; register for a vaccine if you're in one of the groups currently eligible.

• Riverside

• San Bernardino

• Santa Barbara

What can you do while you wait?

The same things you've been doing since March:

• Wear a mask when you're out and about.

• Minimize nonessential trips.

• Stay at least 6 feet away from people you don't live with.

• Don't socialize unmasked or indoors.

Until you've gotten your second dose of the vaccine and waited an appropriate amount of time to develop antibodies, the safest place to be is at home.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.