ORANGE COUNTY, CA – As coronavirus infections spread in Orange County and the state of California, local authorities are working on a plan to help all hospitals vaccinate residents. According to Orange County CEO Frank Kim, doctors are “overwhelmed” by caring for patients.
“We have to work quickly on a large-scale vaccination plan,” said Kim on Wednesday. “We cannot count on CVS, Walgreens and the local hospital system. They are overwhelmed. We need to help, and each county has been asked by the state to increase support for vaccine distribution. We hope to turn it into an implementation very soon. We are very close to concluding contracts on the sites. “
County officials are investigating large sites for vaccination centers, such as school academies or parking lots, to be central vaccination sites.
“We want to make thousands” of vaccines a day, said Kim.
One problem is finding qualified medical professionals to vaccinate residents, said Kim. Only nurses, doctors and paramedics are authorized, but discussions are underway on expanding the types of medical professionals qualified to provide vaccines, he added.
A dispute broke out between county officials when Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer complained when police officers should receive the vaccine.
In a letter to Dr. Clayton Chau, his director and the county health officer, Spitzer accused the Health Agency of “not prioritizing frontline law enforcement … for first-rate vaccinations”.
He added: “I also heard that dentists jumped on the police as a priority by the Vaccination Task Force, an unbelievable development … This is an urgent matter that has been overwhelmed by bureaucratic bureaucracy and, frankly, total nonsense.”
Chau replied that the agency was “following the guidelines of the federal government and also of the (state vaccination plan)”.
Dentists were placed by the state in Phase 1A Level 3, while the police are in Phase 1B Level 1, but that could be changed, Chau said.
“Because of the recent outbreak of cases in correctional facilities, we asked our Vaccine Task Force for approval to move law enforcement teams into the correctional environment, although only correctional medical providers are part of Phase 1A Level 2.”
In a note to Spitzer, vice president of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Andrew Do, said he was “surprised at the unprofessional way you decided to express yourself” on the issue of police vaccines.
Do says Spitzer was wrong.
“The priorities of those who receive the vaccine are determined or established by the state,” Do told the media. “This is not just a personal decision or a decision whether or not Dr. Chau wants to make it.”
Kim said on Wednesday that a compromise was made to force some policemen to work that put them in greater exposure to COVID-19 in line for vaccination.
Police officers working in areas with larger outbreaks, correctional facilities and homeless shelters will be transferred to the queue, Kim said.
The recent outbreak of the Orange County Jail saw a decline on Wednesday, with the number of infected prisoners dropping from 1,154 to 1,120. The municipality awaits the result of 491 exams.
The number of hospitalized prisoners has dropped from five to four, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Sergeant. Dennis Breckner.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson, who is overseeing a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the county that aims to reduce the prison population to better comply with physical distance guidelines, ordered Sheriff Don Barnes to provide details of each convict’s charges, criminal history and medical status at noon on Thursday.
Wilson also allowed Santa Ana to intervene in the process. A hearing is scheduled for Friday to review Wilson’s order to halve the prison population, with Barnes claiming that he has released as many low-risk prisoners as possible.
Orange County is proactively leading Orange County’s response to COVID-19. The next critical phase is to provide the vaccine to residents in a phased and layered approach.
“Orange County, together with our partners in the Orange County Fire Authority, launched ‘Operation Independence’ to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations in the county. In order to coordinate the planning of this huge undertaking, the County created an Incident Management Team (IMT). Operation Independence IMT will work 7 days a week to secure locations and maintain large, regional Super Point-of-Dispensing (POD) sites that can vaccinate thousands of residents every day, “he said. the acting chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Andrew Do, First District.
The municipality’s effort, called Operation Independence, aims to implement regional vaccine dispensing points (POD). Due to the scope and size of these PODs, based on the high demand for vaccines, these sites are being called County Super PODs. Super PODs are expected to deliver thousands of vaccines every day, once they are fully operational.
“Establishing Operation Independence IMT will reduce and eliminate barriers to vaccine access for Orange County residents,” said Supervisor Donald P. Wagner, Third District. “This is important for the taxpayers we serve, as it allows us to maintain fiscal responsibility and avoid duplication of efforts at the municipal level.”
The county is anticipating the need for at least five Super PODs that will be put online as they are approved, staffed and have COVID-19 vaccines available. The location of the County Super POD sites is in development and will be announced as soon as they are finalized. Once completed, the county’s Super POD locations will open in a phased approach and will be located regionally in Orange County.
“I am pleased that Operation Independence IMT will eliminate potential vaccine waste and keep the community informed by providing coordinated communications between all agencies, authorities, stakeholders and the public,” said Supervisor Doug Chaffee, Fourth District.
Vaccines are currently being provided to Orange County residents and those working in Orange County who fall into Phase 1a, at all levels. Vaccines will be distributed in County Super PODs only to Orange County residents and those who work in Orange County and who qualify. The vaccine will not be administered unless identification and documentation of vaccine eligibility is provided on the spot. To see a list of who is eligible to receive a vaccine, visit the OC Health Care Agency website https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/phased-approach-vaccine-distribution.
“I strongly encourage residents to visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.com for the latest information on who is currently eligible to receive the vaccination and to learn the facts about vaccine safety and effectiveness. The county and our partners have been involved in exercise annual POD tests to ensure we are ready to deliver vaccines quickly throughout Orange County, “said supervisor Lisa Bartlett, fifth district.
An Incident Management Team (IMT) was established on December 31, 2020 for Operation Independence. Operation Independence IMT is a unified command with representatives from the Orange County Health Care Agency, the Orange County Fire Authority, the County of Orange County Executive Office (CEO) and other county agencies.
For questions related to COVID-19, visit http://www.ochealthinfo.com/novelcoronavirus or follow HCA on Facebook (@ochealthinfo) and Twitter (@ochealth)
City news service, Patch Staffer Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.