Santa Clara County is launching pop-up COVID-19 vaccine sites in East San Jose and Gilroy, in an effort to reach neighborhoods hardest hit by the virus.
Following a revelation last week that eligible Latinx residents were receiving the vaccine at a lower rate than other groups – despite being disproportionately affected by the virus – district officials on Thursday unveiled a new strategy to vaccinate disadvantaged communities. The pop-up clinics will move between the two locations alternately.
“In Santa Clara County, we know we have a lot of zip codes that are hugely affected by COVID-19,” said Cindy Chavez, chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. “And this gives us the opportunity to get right into the community, right in the neighborhood, and be where people need our services.”
She spoke in front of a municipal public health office on Story Road in East San Jose, where shots were taken on Thursday. That location is open Thursday and Friday.
A vaccination clinic opened at the Gilroy Senior Center on Wednesdays.
Despite causing a disproportionate share of the province’s infections during the pandemic, only 4.1% of Santa Clara’s more than 400,000 qualified Latinx residents have been vaccinated, health officials reported in a new dashboard last week that per variety. About 8.7% of the province’s more than 620,000 white residents have been vaccinated.
In Santa Clara, Latinos make up 51% of COVID-19 cases in the county and only 25% of the population; Statewide, the group accounts for 55% of cases and about 39% of the population.
Similar differences exist across the Bay Area, and local leaders are looking for solutions.
Santa Clara County is taking a multi-faceted approach in an effort to get everyone who qualifies to be vaccinated. The county opened Levi’s Stadium on Tuesday as what will become California’s largest vaccination site. Health workers go door to door to residents’ homes and businesses, urging them to get vaccinated.
The new pop-up sites will make it easier for people with limited access to transportation or technology by allowing them to walk to a site near them without having to make an appointment online. Patients can come to the vaccination site in the morning and get a wristband, and they will be told when to return for their shot. Registration is first-come, first-served and begins at 8am in Gilroy and 8:30 am in San Jose.
Anyone 65 and older who resides in Santa Clara County is eligible, regardless of their insurance, health care provider, or immigration status.
“If we want to recover from the pandemic, it starts here on the east side of San Jose,” said San Jose counselor Magdalena Carrasco.
Residents can also visit www.sccFREEvax.org for more information or to make an appointment.
“When it’s your turn, please get vaccinated to protect yourself and your community,” said Rocio Luna, deputy director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. “If you’re 65 or older, it’s your turn now.”
CVS created another option for people in the Bay Area and began offering appointments for COVID-19 shots at its local locations on Thursday. The vaccinations start on Friday.
Eligible people – those over 65 and health professionals – can make an appointment at CVS.com, by calling 800-746-7287 or through the CVS Pharmacy app. People can make an appointment for their second dose at the same time they book their first shot.
BART said Thursday it would offer free rides to anyone returning home from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum vaccination site after receiving a COVID injection. Health workers will begin vaccinating people in the Colosseum’s parking lot on Tuesday. The Coliseum BART station staff will give anyone with a new vaccination card a free $ 7 ticket.
“After you shoot, we’ll take you home,” Mark Foley, BART Board Chairman, wrote in a press release. “BART is proud to help people get to and from their vaccination appointment and we applaud the Governor and the Biden-Harris Administration for choosing a location that is easily accessible by public transportation.”
Staff writers Fiona Kelliher and Emily DeRuy contributed to this article.