Young Californians have the lowest vaccination rates, raising concerns

As the Bay Area promotes community immunity from COVID-19, experts say the area may be suppressed by young people whose vaccination rates have been lower than in other groups. I am concerned.

Several Bay Area counties, including Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa, and Alameda, report that people in their teens, 20s, and 30s received fewer shots than their predecessors. Only two weeks have passed since all Californians over the age of 16 were eligible, but local authorities and epidemiologists said lower rates would slow down overall demand as the economy fully resumed. Combined, it warns that it could cause an ongoing outbreak in the area.

“We’re still cutting work for us. People are still sick with COVID,” said Dr. Marty Fenstershake, a Santa Clara County test and vaccine officer, a reporter on Friday. I mentioned at the press conference. “Let me tell your young adults and our teens. Now it’s your turn. Help us get to the finish line.”

In Santa Clara County, just over half of the 16-29 year olds are vaccinated at least once, but about 71% in their 30s, 66% in their 40s, and the elderly are much higher. .. Only one in three teenagers is vaccinated. Older Californians have been vaccinated for months and the proportion is increasing, but all healthy residents under the age of 50 are now eligible at the same time.

Similarly, in Contra Costa, about 50% of people between the ages of 16 and 30 are vaccinated, but at least 60% in all other age groups. In Alameda County, about 56% of people aged 16-34 receive at least one dose, compared to more than 70% of all other age groups.

Not all counties show the same trends or report data in a comparable way. In San Francisco, a slightly higher proportion of vaccines are given between the ages of 16 and 34 compared to the population size of the group. Throughout the state, 49% of people aged 18-49 have received at least one shot, as have 67.4% of people aged 50-64 and 74.1% of people aged 65 and over.

In total, about 58% of California adults have at least one shot compared to about 55% of all American adults.

Young people may be vaccinated at a low rate for a variety of reasons, including the belief that COVID-19 is very unlikely to get sick and not knowing how to navigate the complex booking process. there is.

Andrea Hernandez, a senior graduate of WC Oberfeld High School in San Jose, shared a social media post on Friday, and young people do not belong to a group at high risk of serious COVID-19 illness and death. Therefore, he claimed that the vaccine was not important. Statistically, it is also true that young people have the highest infection rates and can infect far more vulnerable people with the virus.

“I believe that the spread of false stories is causing young people to be reluctant to get our vaccine because they can’t get our vaccine,” Hernandez said. Told. “I believe that as people of my age begin to announce vaccination and its importance, more people will be able to get vaccinated.”

Concerns arise when vaccine deployments are already volatile. Last week, the counties from Santa Clara to Marin and Los Angeles Vaccine supply reaches a turning point where it is beginning to outpace demandPrompts questions on how to reach beyond the first wave of vaccine-hungry inhabitants.

delete Time and technology barriers To attract more people from the sign-up process, some Bay Area counties are expanding walk-up slots, pop-up clinics, and evening times on their existing sites.Los Angeles County officials said they would do so on Friday Closed Dodger Stadium mass vaccination site, Shift resources to appointment-free clinics for county-wide staff.

Dr. Peter Chin Hong, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said young people should be targeted with a more specific carrot and stick approach. “Stick” may mean a university or school that requires vaccination for attendance, Already scheduled to do, “Carrots” should include various incentives such as: Free donuts For those who are showing vaccination cards with special privileges at concerts and festivals.

“Vaccines are no longer a hot ticket for the town,” Chin Hong said. “It was part of the charm, it was fashionable … it’s not all-purpose now.”

In the meantime, unvaccinated Californians should not be “ashamed of the vaccine,” Chin Hong said. A small percentage of the population may choose to never be shot, but it is important for those on the fence to make the process as simple and apolitic as possible.

“More young people are talking to other young people,” said Cindy Chavez, supervisor of Santa Clara County.