Silicon Valley workers in high-risk environments need COVID booster shots

Some workers in Santa Clara County will soon need a COVID-19 booster shot to continue working in a high-risk environment.

Health officials in Santa Clara County announced on Tuesday a new limited health order requiring some employees to take booster shots as a condition of employment. The mission affects all public and private employees in the county who work below.

• Skilled long-term care facility, long-term care facility, day care facility, memory care facility
• Medical facilities where patient care is provided (hospitals, clinics, clinics, dialysis centers, etc.), and medical first responders
• Prisons and other correctional facilities
• Collect shelters

Orders come as county braces for spikes Omicron variant infection.. According to the county, in about two weeks, Omicron infections increased from 10 to 60 in the county. COVID dashboard.. The case rate is also increasing, with a 7-day moving average of 328 infections. Last week, the county saw a moving average of 187.

Despite the rise in infectious diseases, hospitalizations are “relatively flat,” according to Dr. Sarah Cody, a public health officer.

“Omicron variants grow at breathtaking rates, doubling about two days in many communities,” Cody said. “Throughout the pandemic, we see an increase in cases first and a short time later in hospitalization.”

According to Cody, the new limited medical order is primarily to prevent patients from flooding local hospitals as they did last year. She expects the case rate this winter to be higher than last winter (when the county saw the largest surge) due to the diffusion rate of Omicron.

However, health officials said the county had other tools that were not previously available, so there was no need for other obligations similar to last year.

“We have a lot of high quality masks. Many buildings have been refurbished and well ventilated. There are test sites, vaccinations and boosters so all of us need to do it. All we have to do is use all of these tools and I think we can overcome this surge, “says Cody.

The booster obligation is based on a recent health order passed by the state on 22 December to extend the requirements for more employees and collective groups to workers in certain medical and long-term care environments. Mandatory the latest vaccination.

Local order also requires workers in these settings to be boosted by January 24, rather than the February 1 state deadline. “The county officials said in a statement.

The county’s health order also has a unique element that prohibits people exempt from medical and religious vaccines from working at the forefront in high-risk environments.

“For clarity, it never affects the employer’s ability to handle religious or medical exemption approvals,” said county attorney James Williams. “But that affects what happens in the process of that tax exemption.”

Employers in high-risk environments are likely to have to relocate workers to other roles without direct patient care, Williams said.

Limited health order also encourages, but does not require, other employers to hire up-to-date vaccinated workers. Already, the California State University system requires booster shots for all students, staff, and faculty members on campus by January 10. San Jose is considering a booster mission Those who use city staff and facilities owned by the city by the end of January.

To reduce the spread of COVID, Cody recommends that residents avoid large indoor gatherings and wear masks indoors in environments with 10 or more people. She also recommends getting booster shots for everyone over the age of 16.

“We have the ability to absorb demand,” Cody said. “I think I can make a reservation for the same day or the next day, especially if I’m willing to go to a site that may not be in the immediate vicinity of my home.”

Over 81% of Santa Clara County residents are fully vaccinated. So far, 52% of the eligible county population and 67% of the population aged 65 and over have been boosted.

Those who are interested in booster shot schedules can do so here..

Contact Jana Kadah [email protected] Or @Jana_Kadah on Twitter.