Santa Clara County Needs Boosters for Healthcare Workers and Other High-Risk Environments

Two counties in the Bay Area (Santa Clara and Contra Costa) will boost many employees in high-risk jobs next month, spurring an astonishing surge in COVID-19 infection rates across the state. Issued a new command requesting a shot.

Dr. Sarah Cody, Health Officer of Santa Clara County, announced on Tuesday that workers in medical facilities, nursing homes, homeless shelters and correctional facilities in the county will need to get boosters by January 24th. A certified worker Rapid spread of Omicron variants Since entering the COVID scene just a few weeks ago.

On Monday, Contra Costa County announced new rules that were even more aggressive. First responders and other high-risk workers must get booster shots by January 10 if they do not want to be tested for coronavirus weekly.

This requirement applies to county law enforcement officers and firefighters, and emergency care workers who enter facilities such as hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and life support centers as part of their work.

“Our incidents here in Santa Clara County are skyrocketing,” Cody said. “And most of them are omicrons.”

COVID-19 hospitalization rates are flat in Santa Clara County, but Cody said they expect them to start rising rapidly, and booster missions work when pressure is placed on the local health system. He said it was an attempt to protect the person.

“Boosting is necessary for Omicron infection and best protection from infection,” said Dr. Chris Farnitano, a health officer in Contra Costa County, in a press release. “Our hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed if many of the most vulnerable residents get sick.”

The two counties appear to be the first in California to need boosters amid a nationwide surge in Omicron. Their orders are broader than those announced last week by Governor Gavin Newsom, who only needs healthcare professionals to get boosters. The University of California and California State University systems also required faculty, staff, and students to get boosters.

Mayor of San Jose Samuri Card on December 21st, all cities City-owned venue employees and visitors I need to get a booster shot. The city council will consider the proposal next month.

The counties of Alameda, San Francisco and San Mateo said they had no plans to order boosters. However, a Marin County spokesman said health officials there had begun investigating possible booster requirements.

So far, about 36% of Contra Costa County residents over the age of 16 (currently eligible groups under federal regulations) have received booster shots. Mutant.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Contra Costa County has skyrocketed since December 18, with data from the Ministry of Health showing 159.4 cases per day for 7 days, with an average of 379.7 cases on Sundays. ..

Currently, 52 people in the county and 12 people in the ICU are hospitalized for COVID-19, and the number is steadily increasing this month. According to the data, the majority of hospitalizations are unvaccinated residents.

However, not everyone is convinced that workers should be vaccinated. Vito Impastato, president of the union representing the captain of the Contra Costa County Fire District, said the mission was not a real effort to curb COVID-19 cases, but a “political move.”

“I feel this big concern about the next variant and the next variant after that,” says Impastato. “Looking at what we’ve done in the last two years with not having so many cases of illness in our department, it just feels like a shot in the dark-the pun is intended. not.”

Santa Clara County’s obligations allow religious exemptions, and workers who do not receive boosters will be reassigned to a less risky work environment.