Struggling to meet its COVID-19 vaccination goals, Santa Clara County is calling on San Jose to help.
But helping the county increase vaccines could mean a reduction in some services in the city.
In response to the county’s request for mutual assistance, San Jose was able to recruit up to 250 people – hired and funded by the city – to help with the vaccination effort. The city has also identified more than 100 possible vaccine clinic locations, including more than 30 city-owned locations. The locations are not yet known.
“When the situation comes, we are the big actor in the county and we end up bearing the big burden as a result,” the city’s deputy manager, Kip Harkness, told the San Jose City Council on Tuesday.
To help the county achieve its goal of vaccinating 85% of its residents by August, the city will hire people to run vaccination clinics, serving as gas station attendants, receptionists, line monitors and vaccination assistants. Once the city has finished recruiting, jobs will be managed by the municipality.
But the call for help could put San Jose in a tight financial situation, leading to cuts in services. Some of these cuts include reducing bicycle and pedestrian safety projects, supporting distance learning, digital inclusion efforts and response times to towing requests.
“I would try to avoid taking the services out of residents as much as possible – they have survived a year of reduced services,” said adviser David Cohen. “We heard a lot of frustration.”
Mayor Sam Liccardo said he has lobbied for federal funds to create jobs for displaced residents who want to help with the vaccination effort. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be a potential source of funding, he said.
“It’s a great idea to use FEMA’s available resources to pay people – that’s the best option,” agreed Cohen. “I think there is clearly an interest in volunteering for the vaccination program so that we can fill in the gaps.”
The council unanimously agreed to advocate creating more jobs to help the vaccine effort. Lawmakers also want to mobilize firefighters to help with vaccine implantation and to install mobile vaccine stations in schools and easily accessible places.
A new vaccine clinic opened on Tuesday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in East San Jose, joining another vaccination site at Mexican Heritage Plaza. Another will open at Eastridge Mall on March 1st. The sites will make vaccines more accessible to East San Jose residents who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
Harkness reported that approximately 16% of Santa Clara County residents were vaccinated. Eighty percent of the elderly aged 70 and over received a dose, while 50% of those aged 65 and older received a dose on December 15.
The Valley Homeless Healthcare program, which provides homeless services in Santa Clara County, administered 125 vaccines to homeless people aged 65 and over. These individuals are expected to receive a second dose starting next week.
Eighty-three percent of San Jose Fire Department employees received the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said. The city has limited data for the Police Department, but reported that 637 of 1,075 sworn police officers were vaccinated.
Despite progress, the launch is still uneven.
“There remains a significant racial disparity between the higher vaccination rates of Asians and whites and the much lower vaccination rates of elderly Latin Americans and African Americans,” said Harkness.
Although the county started vaccinating health professionals and first responders, people working in agriculture, day care centers or emergency services will be eligible for vaccines as of February 28.
As of March 15, residents aged 16 to 64 who are most at risk of death if they contract COVID-19 can receive the vaccine. These individuals include pregnant women and those who have been diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, heart problems, chronic kidney or lung disease, organ transplants, Down syndrome, sickle cell anemia and severe obesity.
“It is important to give vaccines to as many people as possible as quickly as possible,” said councilwoman Pam Foley.
The City Council recently sent a letter to the state’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee, urging it to provide vaccines to the most affected communities, including homeless people.
“We are trying to do everything we can to ensure that our residents are not pushed back in line,” said Liccardo. “I know we have a lot more work to do and I appreciate everything that you are doing now.”
Contact Carly Wipf at [email protected] or follow @CarlyChristineW on Twitter.