Public health officials in Santa Barbara County announced Friday afternoon that they will open vaccination programs for workers in the education and care of children, agriculture and food and emergency services starting March 1.
These sectors are included in the state’s Phase 1 vaccination plan, including people aged 65 and over.
So far, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties have only opened vaccinations for those over 65, along with health workers and long-term care residents, who are in Phase 1A.
“It simply came to our notice then [SLO County Health Officer] Dr. Borenstein, in this situation, because everyone is like us, we are open now, we can vaccinate this group and the counties cannot, ”said Christine Williams, president of the Atascadero District Teachers Association.
Public health officials in San Luis Obispo County say more than 22,000 people have been vaccinated in the county so far, with nearly a quarter of them already receiving the second dose.
“It’s something I hear a lot from our members and from people who either want their own vaccines or if someone isn’t sure they want their colleagues to have access to it,” said Cody King, president of the Lucia Association of Unified Teachers. Apple
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that only 35 of California’s 58 counties prioritize vaccines for educators and want to change that soon.
“As of March 1, we are not only doing this through our third-party administrator, but we are also reserving 10% of all first doses,” Governor Newsom said.
According to the Superintendent of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Education, James Brescia, the health department is working with local schools and child care centers to implement this request.
“All agencies give priority to staff for vaccination when the allocated vaccination slots become available,” he said.
As some local school districts begin to open, teachers believe the vaccine will be essential to staying open.
“For some people, either because of the risk to the health of a loved one or at their own risk, vaccination will actually alleviate some of this and again it is not the only thing. I have many educators who are in classrooms with medical risks, if it were to contact COVID, it is a scary proposition, ”Williams said.
While other counties have already begun vaccinating teachers and agricultural workers, Santa Barbara County health officials say they feel they have received their fair share of vaccine doses.
“For a large county, they usually have multiple multi-county hospital systems that receive additional vaccines, they have – perhaps because of their large population and demographics – they receive direct federal partnerships through CVS and Rite-Aids, so everything is it reduces the number of vaccines and the sources that exist in that county, “said Van Do-Reynoso, Santa Barbara County’s director of public health.
Do-Reynoso says the county found out last week that it will start receiving at least 500 doses a week as part of a federal partnership allocation, in addition to the doses received from the state, and anticipates that different flows will come. of vaccines in the county.