Santa Clara County officials are urging all health care workers in the county to get vaccinated for COVID-19 now that they are eligible.
The news comes after the state’s public health department extended its eligibility on Thursday to include all health workers under any level in phase 1A vaccine distribution.
This means those in the second and third levels of Phase 1A, including those in intermediate care units, community health workers (including promoters), public health staff, primary care clinic workers, clinic workers. Specialists, laboratories, dental clinics, and pharmacy staff can be vaccinated.
Initially, only staff from acute care hospitals and dialysis centers, first aid nurses and staff and residents from long-term care units were eligible for the vaccine.
“We are thrilled to see that the early launch of the vaccine has provided protection for so many of our most essential and at-risk workers,” said county supervisor Otto Lee. Now, the pool has just become bigger, and the county and other health care partners are growing to meet this growing demand.
There are about 140,000 health workers in Santa Clara County, and 47,000 of them have already received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine – a figure that Dr. Sara Cody, the county’s health officer and director of public health, says represents great progress ”.
“Despite the fact that we are in the midst of an extremely difficult increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and the first deliveries of vaccines have arrived during the holidays,” Cody said. Health care systems throughout the county have made great strides in vaccinating staff in the early stages of Phase 1A.
To date, health care systems across the county have received 110,280 first doses and 17,320 from the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health also received the additional vaccine delivered directly to them.
Most health workers are eligible to receive the vaccine through their employer, but those who are not can be vaccinated by county.
Residents of long-term care institutions receive vaccines through the federal government’s pharmacy partnership program for the long-term care program.
As more vaccines come to the county, more meetings will be available, and deliveries come every week.
The county health care system alone will reach 4,000 vaccinations a day by the end of next week, and capacity will increase in the coming weeks.
“We are opening various clinic-based sites around the county and anticipating the opening of additional mass vaccination facilities in the near future,” said Dr. Jennifer Tong, associate medical officer at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Hospitals and Clinics.
As soon as people in phase 1A have been offered the vaccine, the state will allow vaccination to begin in phase 1B, which includes people over the age of 75 and other “essential frontline workers” working in education, childcare, services emergency and food and agriculture.
The second level of Phase 1B will include adults aged between 65 and 74, people incarcerated and imprisoned, as well as those working in transport, critical production and other sectors who are at risk of exposure through their work.
However, health officials are calling on the public to continue to comply with health orders and safety protocols for COVID-19.
“Our progress so far in vaccinating the health workforce gives us great hope, but we need to remain vigilant until most of our community is vaccinated. We all need to work together to get through this, but we will get there, “Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 testing and vaccination officer for Santa Clara County, said.
To learn more about vaccines or to book an appointment across the county, click here.