Several essential Santa Clara County workers, including teachers and farmers, will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month, health officials said on Wednesday.
As of February 28, those working in the agriculture and food, education and day care and emergency services sectors can apply for their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, health officer Dr. Sara Cody told a news conference.
“We have seen, of course, a number of challenges in providing vaccines and other complexities surrounding the launch of this historic vaccination campaign,” said Cody. “This expansion of eligibility will help ensure that many of our essential workers – especially those who live in communities that have been hardest hit – have access to the vaccine.”
The expansion came after what Cody called “good progress” in vaccinating older residents. More than 50% of county residents aged 75 and over have been vaccinated, in addition to nearly half of those aged 65 and over, she said.
The first phase of vaccine implantation in California included health professionals and residents of long-term care facilities, followed by those aged 65 and over. The California Department of Public Health has allowed the discretion of local health jurisdictions to vaccinate the next batch of residents, which is known as Phase 1B and includes the sectors soon eligible in Santa Clara.
This discretion led to unequal access to the vaccine for teachers, agricultural workers and other vulnerable groups across geographies. While some counties in California and the Bay Area – including Marin and Alameda – have started to narrow the list of 1B workers in recent weeks, others, like Santa Clara, have resisted so far. Los Angeles health officials announced a similar expansion on Tuesday.
Across the state, about 6.4 million doses have been administered until Wednesday, according to the CDPH vaccination panel. Of Californians who received at least one dose, only 16% are Latinx, despite representing about 38% of the population and 55% of coronavirus cases. These discrepancies are reflected in Santa Clara County, where only 6% of eligible Latinx residents have been vaccinated. The Latinx community comprises 25% of the county’s population and 51% of cases.
Speaking of a pop-up vaccination post that opened on Wednesday at the Gilroy Senior Center, city councilwoman Rebeca Armendariz noted that the struggle to vaccinate rural workers, grocery stores and other essential employees depends on the county’s ability to resist more pop-ups and mass vaccination sites in the coming weeks.
On Tuesday, the state unveiled two new mass vaccination sites at the Oakland Coliseum and Cal State Los Angeles with the goal of vaccinating people in hard-hit neighborhoods.
“The number of Latinos and the elderly who have been vaccinated is still very low and incredibly disproportionate,” said Armendariz. “We must continue with these and greater efforts to achieve them.”
County officials said they were working to create more availability on weekends and during the week for consultations and expanding efforts to reach residents, focusing on neighborhoods with the highest infection rates, such as Gilroy and East San Jose.
Earlier this month, the county also launched a “no wrong door” policy, allowing eligible residents to apply for a chance with any provider or the county itself, regardless of private insurance.
“We will do everything we can to get in touch with you, whether you are documented, undocumented, whatever,” said Cody. “If you live in our community in Santa Clara County, come and get vaccinated.”