The first vaccination clinic for food and agriculture workers is scheduled for next week. This sector is estimated to include 10,000 local employees in workplaces ranging from grocery stores to dairy farms, and vaccination is expected to take months due to the lack of availability of the vaccine.
Humboldt County Public Health is partnering with another approved vaccinator to launch the first mobile clinic for this sector, which is offered by invitation only and will take place at a large-scale agricultural production facility on Friday, March 19.
Public Health will prioritize facilities with a higher risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, local facilities where widespread transmission has already occurred and places known to be at higher risk of transmission, such as meat, dairy and seafood producers. Public Health will coordinate clinics in larger production facilities and some locations with fewer employees will be invited to these clinics. Workers in this sector will also be invited to mass vaccination clinics, as vaccine delivery allows.
Vaccination priorities are defined by the state of California, and the ability to vaccinate additional groups remains strictly limited by the available supply. Without a significant increase in weekly allocation, it will be months before Humboldt County has enough doses to vaccinate everyone in this sector.
The state continues to open industry sectors and age groups with populations estimated at rates that far exceed the doses it is providing. After opening the vaccination to people aged 65 and over this week, the state plans to open to people aged 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions next week and to add transport workers to Phase 1B soon.
According to the California Department of Public Health (https://covid19.ca.gov/essential-workforce/), the food and agriculture sector includes the following:
- “Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies, convenience stores and other retailers selling food or beverages and pet / pet food, retail customer support service, information technology support team, for online ordering, collection / delivery or delivery.
- Workers who support restaurant food operations and fast service, including food preparation, transportation and delivery staff.
- Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees to include those employed in the production of food ingredients and processing facilities; aquaculture and seafood harvesting facilities; livestock, poultry, seafood slaughter facilities; pet food processing facilities; human food facilities that produce by-products for animal feed; beverage production facilities; and the production of food packaging, including recycling and processing operations.
- Farmers, farm workers and ranches and agribusiness support services to include those employed in auctions and sales; handling, storage, processing and distribution of grains and oilseeds; production, packaging and distribution of animal feed, feed and ingredients; manufacture, packaging and distribution of veterinary medicines; delivery and transport of trucks.
- Farmers, farm and ranch workers, support service workers and their supplying employees producing food both domestically and for export, including those involved in raising, growing, harvesting, packaging, storing or delivering to storage or market or to a carrier for transport to market any agricultural or horticultural commodity for human consumption; those involved in the production and harvest of agricultural crops; cannabis producers; agricultural and commodity inspection; fuel ethanol facilities; storage facilities; biodiesel and renewable diesel facilities; and other agricultural inputs
- Employees and companies that support the distribution of food, feed and beverages and the ingredients used in these products, including warehouse employees, supplier-managed stock controllers and blockchain managers.
- Workers supporting the sanitation of all food manufacturing processes and operations, from wholesale to retail.
- Workers supporting the growth and distribution of plants and associated products for home gardens.
- Cafeteria workers used to feed workers, mainly worker populations protected against COVID-19
- Workers in animal diagnostic and food testing laboratories
- Essential workers for government assistance and payment programs
- Workers from governmental, private and non-governmental organizations essential to food assistance programs (including school lunch programs) and government payments.
- Employees of companies engaged in the production, storage, transport and distribution of chemicals; medicines, including cannabis; vaccines; and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry, including seeds, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments and other agricultural production aids.
- Animal agriculture workers must include those employed in veterinary health (including those involved in supporting emergency veterinary or livestock services); raising animals for food; animal production operations; livestock markets; slaughter and packaging plants, manufacturers, suppliers and associated regulatory and governmental workforce.
- Transport that supports the animal agriculture industries, including the movement of medical and reproductive supplies and materials for animals, vaccines for animals, medicines for animals, feed ingredients, feed for animals and beds, live animals, medical materials for animals; transporting dead animals for disposal; and associated regulatory and government workforce
- Workers who support sawmills and the manufacture and distribution of fiber and forest products, including, but not limited to, wood, paper and other wood and fiber products
- Employees involved in the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary for agricultural production and distribution
- Workers in animal care facilities that provide food, shelter, veterinary and / or routine care and other vital needs for animals. “
This sector additionally includes:
- Any employee who works in a restaurant to the extent not described in the food and agriculture sector above
- Veterinary service staff
- Medical marijuana workers.
Public Health will continue to request 100% of the vaccine offered by the state and will use all doses that are allocated weekly.
9 new cases reported today
A total of 3,335 residents of Humboldt County tested positive for COVID-19 after nine new cases were reported today.
Condado distributed 5,140 doses of vaccine for the next week
Humboldt County is expected to receive 5,140 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine next week. Of these, 2,800 are Modern and 2,340 are Pfizer. The county will not receive a dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the next week.
For the latest information on COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours, by contacting [email protected] or by calling 707-441-5000.
Some Safeway and Pharmacy CVS locations are offering COVID-19 vaccination consultations in partnership with the federal government. Find out who is eligible for the vaccination and sign up for an appointment at one of these locations by clicking on the links below.
Safeway: https://www.mhealthappointments.com/covidappt
Pharmacy CVS: https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine?icid=cvs-home-hero1-link2-coronavirus-vaccine.
Information on the COVID-19 vaccine site: humboldtgov.org/VaccineInfo
Humboldt County COVID-19 data panel: humboldtgov.org/Dashboard
Follow us on Facebook: @ HumCoCOVID19
Instagram: @ HumCoCOVID19
Twitter: @ HumCoCOVID19
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
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