Samuel Leach addresses Calaveras supervisors
San Andreas, CA – As of Monday, Calaveras County is planning to start offering the COVID-19 vaccine to any resident 75 years of age or older.
The announcement was made at the supervisory board meeting this morning during a presentation by Provisional Director of Health and Human Services Samuel Leach and the President and CEO of Mark Twain Medical Center Doug Archer.
Leach noted to this point, 580 vaccines were distributed in the municipality. The initial groups included frontline health workers, firefighters, paramedics and assisted living centers.
As of Monday, CEO Archer noted that vaccine clinics will be installed at the Mark Twain Medical Center in San Andreas for those in Tier 1B, which includes anyone aged 75 and over. More specific details will be announced later this week on how to schedule an appointment and where to go. The plan is to administer 100 vaccines on the first day and then increase it to around 200-250 a day. They will be free. The clinics will operate four days a week, depending on the availability of the vaccine. There will be screening to ensure that those who receive the vaccine are residents of Calaveras. Those who receive it will have a follow-up appointment scheduled for the second dose in about four weeks.
Leach said the next phase was “hard work” and praised the role of Mark Twain Medical Center in being a community health partner. He also added that he is in talks with Calaveras School Superintendent Scott Nanik to start offering the vaccine to teachers and staff in various school districts next week.
Although the news about the vaccine’s distribution was positive, Leach acknowledged that emergency responders have been stressed in recent weeks due to an increase in local cases.
Asked about the increase and challenges related to contact tracking, Leach replied: “This is a real thing and a real increase. I need people to take this seriously. “
He added: “You really need to move on now, during the depths of the wave, as if everyone you came into contact with had Covid. It is not March or April, when we were still asking people if you know someone that you once had. Almost everyone who is hearing this knows someone who once had, or is now. And if you’re in my position, you know a lot of people who actively have Covid now. “
He stressed the importance of wearing a mask, avoiding meetings and washing hands. He hopes the community will be in a better place in the spring.
In other matters today, supervisors unanimously elected Ben Stopper to serve as president in 2021 and new supervisor Amanda Folendorf will be vice president. Stopper was vice president last year.