Santa Clara County, struggling to reach its COVID-19 vaccination goals, is appealing to San Jose to help.
But helping the province increase vaccinations could mean a reduction in some city services.
In response to the province’s call for mutual assistance, San Jose could recruit up to 250 people – who are hired and funded by the city – to help with the vaccination effort. The city has also identified more than one hundred potential sites for vaccination clinics, including more than thirty sites in the city. The locations are not yet known.
“When there is pressure, we are the biggest player in the province, and we end up with the big burden,” Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness told San Jose City Council on Tuesday.
To get the province vaccinated 85% of the population by August, the city will look to hire people to run vaccination clinics by serving parkers, greetings, line monitors and vaccine assistants. Once the city has completed the recruitment, the work will be managed by the country.
But the request for help could put San Jose in a tight financial position, which could lead to service cuts. Some of these cuts include a reduction in bicycle and pedestrian safety projects, support for distance education, digital inclusion efforts and response times for requests for towing permits.
“I will try to keep as much as possible away from taking away services from residents – they have survived a year of fewer services,” said councilor David Cohen. “We heard a lot of frustration.”
Mayor Sam Liccardo said he is campaigning for federal funds to create jobs for displaced residents who want to help the vaccine. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be one potential source, he said.
“It’s a good idea to use available FEMA resources to pay people – it’s the best option,” Cohen agrees. “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 plead for the creation of more jobs to boost the vaccine effort. Legislators also want to mobilize firefighters to help with the explosion of vaccines and to set up mobile vaccination stations at schools and easily accessible sites.
A new vaccine clinic opened Tuesday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in East San Jose, joining another vaccine at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Another will open at Eastridge Mall on March 1st. The sites will make vaccines more accessible to residents of East San Jose who have been excessively affected by COVID-19.
According to Harkness, about 16% of Santa Clara County residents have been vaccinated. Eighty percent of elderly people 70 years and older received one dose, while 50% of those 65 years and older received one dose as of December 15th.
The Valley Homeless Healthcare program, which provides services to unmarried individuals in Santa Clara County, administered 125 vaccinations to homeless residents aged 65 and over. Those individuals are expected to receive a second dose from 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 reports that 637 out of 1,075 sworn officers have been vaccinated.
Despite progress, the rollout is still uneven.
“There is a significant racial difference between the higher vaccination rates of Asians and whites and the much lower vaccination rates of Latinx and African American elders,” Harkness said.
Although the province has started by vaccinating health workers and first responders, people working in the agricultural, childcare or emergency services roles will be eligible for vaccinations as soon as 28 February.
From March 15, residents aged 16-64 who are most at risk of dying if they contract COVID-19 can get a vaccine. These people include pregnant women and those diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney or lung disease, organ transplants, Down syndrome, sickle cell anemia and severe obesity.
“It’s important that we get the vaccinations out to as many people as possible as soon as possible,” said councilor Pam Foley.
The city council recently submitted a letter to the state’s community vaccine advisory committee urging it to provide vaccines to the hardest hit communities, including the homeless.
“We are trying hard to do everything in our power to ensure that our residents do not move in line again,” Liccardo said. “I know we have a lot more work to do and I appreciate everything you insist on now.”
Contact Carly Wipf at [email protected] or follow @CarlyChristineW on Twitter.