Vaccinations for teachers, police, food and farm workers may begin Saturday in San Diego County

Photo by Matt Hoffman

At the top: A woman vaccinated against COVID-19 at the Border View Family YMCA in Otay Mesa, February 24, 2021.

San Diego County officials said Wednesday that those in school, child care, food and agriculture and other non-medical emergency care sectors can receive the benefits. vaccines against COVID-19 starting this weekend.

As of Saturday, the vaccination group will open about half a million more people, though supervisor Nathan Fletcher warned that appointments would not be available immediately for everyone who meets the requirements.

“We need people to be patient,” Fletcher said, adding that the county will prioritize K-12 schools over the postal codes most affected by COVID-19.

As part of efforts to push for the reopening of schools, Fletcher said 20% of vaccine doses will be prioritized for teachers and school staff, compared to 10% outlined by state leaders.

Fletcher said the county will set up appointments directly with K-12 school districts, while everyone else entering Phase 1B, including education and child care workers off-campus K-12, they can schedule appointments through typical public media such as the county. website.

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County case rates have declined at an encouraging rate, officials said, indicating a potential drop in the near future to the red level of the state’s reopening plan.

Fletcher said so far more than 783,000 vaccines have been administered in the county, including nearly 68 percent of vaccinated seniors, and one in five St. Diegans has received at least the first doses.

“We’re getting arm vaccines at a very impressive pace,” Fletcher said.

Despite encouraging figures, San Diego County also reported 658 new COVID-19 infections and 12 additional deaths on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total to 258,463 cases and 3,230 deaths.

This week, a new vaccination site was also opened in Otay Mesa and a “super inoculation station” was reopened in Petco Park after a five-day closure caused by time-related delays in shipments. of dose.

The site of San Diego Padres City Park, the largest inoculation center in San Diego County, was closed since Thursday, with a severe climate that affected much of the nation delaying vaccine shipments since the midwest and east coast. Petco Park uses only the Modern vaccine, while other sites use Pfizer or both.

Appointments for the second dose of the vaccine Friday through Monday were canceled and will be rescheduled automatically, UC San Diego officials said People with appointments were asked to check for updates on the website MyUCSDChart.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that people can wait up to 42 days between doses and still achieve maximum immunity.

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Nearly 80,000 doses of storm-delayed vaccine began arriving in the San Diego area Tuesday night, allowing all missed second doses to be rescheduled and widespread resumption of first-dose appointments, according to county officials .

Vaccine amounts represent the doses expected this week and the ones delayed last week by severe winter storms elsewhere in the United States.

The new Otay Mesa vaccination site will administer doses from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and will be open Sunday through Thursday at the YMCA Border View Family, 3601 Arey Drive. The clinic will start with a capacity to administer up to 500 daily doses, but can be expanded to 1,000 shots each day.

In addition, the San Diego Department of Fire Rescue has begun scheduling appointments for a vaccination station at Balboa Municipal Gym, 2111 Pan American Plaza in Balboa Park. The time slots are available for Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and can be insured online at www.sandiego.gov/covid-19- vaccination.

A venue will open at Lemon Grove on Sunday, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sundays and Mondays. The site will be at Lemon Grove Community Center, 3146 School Lane. When operational, Lemon Grove Clinic will be able to administer 500 doses daily.

The adjusted rate of new daily COVID-19 cases in the county was reduced to 15 per 100,000 population, according to data released Tuesday. The county is still at the most restrictive purple level of the state’s four-tier economic reopening system.

To get out of purple and reach the less restrictive red level, the county’s new case rate must drop to seven per 100,000 residents. The county’s seven-day average positivity rate already qualifies for the red level, with a state-adjusted 5%, but the county must meet all necessary metrics before advancing outside the purple level.

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