The Santa Clara County Department of Public Health has launched a new data board on COVID-19 vaccines, public health officials said Thursday.
The bulletin includes information on the total number of residents vaccinated to date, as well as information by race / ethnicity, sex, and age from the California Department of Public Health’s immunization record.
These data help track and ensure equitable access to people most at risk for serious illness and death, as well as people at highest risk of exposure, officials said.
“Addressing health disparities and ensuring equitable access to the COVID vaccine for our hardest-hit communities is and remains the top priority for the county,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Santa County Health Officer. Clear.
The county’s recent move to a “wrong door policy” is an example of removing barriers to vaccination.
The new policy, announced Thursday, allows residents age 65 and older to book appointments with any vaccine provider regardless of their coverage in order to streamline vaccinations for one of the most at-risk communities.
People over the age of 65 account for 81% of deaths from COVID-19 and approximately 60% of hospitalizations. To date, about 24% of the county’s over-65 population has been vaccinated and 37% of the 75+.
As of Thursday, more than 10 percent of the county’s population ages 16 and older received at least one dose of vaccine, “reflecting strong progress,” toward the county’s goal of vaccinating 85 percent of the population. on August 1, 2021.
The new vaccine data board will be updated daily. Vaccine providers in the county report the information about themselves and include information about non-county residents, such as health workers who live elsewhere but work in Santa Clara County.
The board can be accessed via this link: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/dashboard-vaccine.aspx?mc_cid=fe1c613fca&mc_eid=882534314e. To book appointments or learn more about immunization in Santa Clara County, visit sccfreevax.org.