Public health officials in Santa Barbara County announced Friday afternoon that they will open vaccinations for workers in education and child care, agriculture and food and emergency services from March 1st.
These sectors are included in the Phase 1 B vaccination plan, including people 65 years and older.
Up to this point, the provinces of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo have only opened vaccinations for 65-year-olds, along with health workers and long-term residents, who are in phase 1A.
‘I feel a little for [SLO County Health Officer] Dr. Borenstein in the situation, because everyone likes, we are open now, we can vaccinate this group and not the provinces, ‘said Christine Williams, president of the Atascadero District Teachers Association.
San Luis Obispo County public health officials say more than 22,000 people have been vaccinated so far, with nearly a quarter of them already receiving their second dose.
“This is something I hear a lot from our members and from people who want their vaccinations themselves, or if someone is not sure he / she still wants their colleagues access to it,” said Cody King, president of the Lucia Mar Unified Teachers Association, said.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday that only 35 of California’s 58 states prefer vaccines to educators and that he wants to change them.
“As of March 1, not only are we doing this through our third-party administrator, but we are also setting aside 10% of all initial doses,” Government Newsom said.
According to San Luis Obispo County Office of Education Superintendent James Brescia, the health department is working with local schools and child care centers to implement this request.
“All agencies give preference to vaccination staff members when the allocated vaccination slots are available,” he said.
As some local school districts begin to open up, teachers believe the vaccine is the key to staying open.
“For some people, because of the health risk of their loved one or their own, the fact that they are vaccinated will alleviate some of it and that again is not the only thing. I have many educators who are in classrooms with medical risks when it comes to contacting COVID is a narrow proposition, ‘Williams said.
While some other counties have already started vaccinating teachers and farm workers, health officials in Santa Barbara County say they feel they have received their fair share of vaccine doses.
“For a large province, they usually have more hospital systems with more provinces getting their additional vaccines. They have – perhaps because of their large population and demographics – direct federal partnerships via CVS and Rite-Aids, so it’s really all down to the number of vaccines and the resources available in the country, ‘said Van Do-Reynoso, director of public health in Santa Barbara.
Do-Reynoso says the province just learned last week that it will receive at least 500 doses a week as part of a federal partnership grant, in addition to the doses the state receives, and she expects different streams of vaccines to enter the country. . .