|
The new tiered vaccination phases as proposed by the state.
County Will Adapt State Recommendations for Vaccine Distribution
San Bernardino County is making steady progress through Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination campaign, and is monitoring recommendations being considered by California's Community Vaccine Advisory Committee. The new guidelines were announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday, Dec. 28 and are expected to be finalized by the state California Department of Public Health very soon.
If the newly adapted Phases are approved, there will be three new Tiers in Phase 1A. San Bernardino County is currently in Tier 1 of Phase 1A (see above chart for reference), which means we are currently distributing vaccine doses to frontline health care workers, medical first responders (e.g. paramedics) and dialysis centers; and soon to skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care residents.
“For two weeks now we have successfully brought both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to our county’s hospitals and medical centers, as well as EMTs and paramedics,” said County Public Health Director Corwin Porter. “We’re now working with Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy to deliver vaccines to other groups included in this phase, specifically staff and residents at skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care residences.”
The County expects to complete Phase 1A, Tier 1 by mid-January and move into the next Tier.
Tier 2 of Phase 1A will include those receiving intermediate and supportive care; home health care and in-home supportive services; community health workers (including promotoras); public health field staff; primary care clinics and health centers; correctional facility clinics; and urgent care clinics.
Tier 3 of Phase 1B will include specialty clinics; laboratory workers; dental/oral health clinics; and pharmacy staff.
Moving into Phase 1B, there are two Tiers. In Tier 1 of Phase 1B, the vaccine doses will be administered to frontline essential workers in non-medical fields, such as food and agriculture sectors; teachers and support staff; emergency services such as police and fire; childcare workers; farmworkers; and any citizens over the age of 75.
In Tier 2 of Phase 1B, the vaccine will be administrated to individuals over 65 with serious risk factors; the homeless; inmates in jails and prisons; and essential workers in transportation, logistics, critical manufacturing, industrial, residential and commercial sectors.
Identifying Phase 1C recipients is not expected to be finalized for several weeks. They will likely include individuals aged 16-64 with underlying medical conditions, as well as workers in other essential industries. This will then allow for Phase 2 of vaccination distribution, for individuals over 16 not included in prior phases.
In this video, paramedics from Redlands and San Bernardino County fire departments share their vaccination experience.
County Paramedics and EMTs Begin Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine
Currently, the County of San Bernardino is in Phase 1A of vaccine distribution. Vaccines are administered at no cost. The public can follow the phases of the vaccination rollout on our website at sbcovid19.com/vaccine.
The rollout has gone smoothly in San Bernardino County going first to frontline health care workers, people at skilled nursing facilities and long-term care facilities, as well as medical first responders such as paramedics and EMTs.
The County has delivered more than 33,000 doses of the vaccine so far that we received from the state and supplies to implement the shots have come with the vaccines. The County is prepared to conduct point-of-dispensing sites at multiple locations and we will be coordinating with our cities, towns and community partners to reach all communities.
Testing Facilities Expand Hours to Accommodate County Residents
County residents have responded impressively to officials’ pleas to get tested for COVID-19, with more than 465,000 tests having already been conducted in December alone.
Demand for tests continues to be strong, with appointments consistently filling up two or three days in advance. In response, several of the County’s testing facilities are expanding hours until 8 p.m. to accommodate residents and are expected to maintain these extended hours through January 8. A list of testing sites and extended hours can be found here.
“We are proud of how County residents have responded to our requests to get testing,” said County Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman, who noted that the County’ testing numbers have recently exceeded state requirements. “We are continuing to encourage everyone, including those without symptoms, to schedule an appointment to get tested.”
Hagman noted that while many of the County’s testing locations continue to accept walk-ins, those without appointments are typically having to wait up to 90 minutes or longer to actually receive a test.
“Getting tested is both painless and cost free,” said Hagman, “and for those with an appointment, it’s quick, easy and convenient. So please, schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience.”
Project Roomkey Transitions into Moving Forward Program
A partnership between the County, Chance Project and Knowledge and Education for Your Success (KEYS) formed to provide assistance to those experiencing homelessness who are at high risk for COVID-19. Moving Forward transitions individuals from Project Roomkey, a state initiative to provide a safe place for homeless to isolate during COVID-19, to interim and permanent housing.
Individuals who receive assistance through Project Roomkey and Moving Forward include homeless individuals over the age of 65, those who may have medical conditions and pregnant women. To date, Moving Forward has assisted nearly 50 individuals transition out of homelessness.
“This collaborative effort has been pivotal in ensuring the health and safety of some of the County’s most vulnerable residents,” said CaSonya Thomas, assistant executive officer for the County Human Services. “Moving Forward is dedicated to addressing the unique needs of the homeless in our region through the coordination of county, community and local efforts to provide services that will result in life-changing, long-term solutions.”
Moving Forward provides support in the form of outreach services, housing access and navigation services, and comprehensive case management. The goal of the program is to rapidly connect individuals and families to housing and services.
“We are grateful for the partnership with the County of San Bernardino Human Services and our partners in this endeavor including Housing for All, Keys, Inland Housing Solutions, Knock Knock Angels, the County's Department of Aging and Adult Services, and all the other dedicated community partners,” said Ron Griffin, CEO of the Chance Project. “They were all a part of the transition of county residents in housing crisis to permanent housing for years to come.”
For more information about Moving Forward view the attached video, or email info@thechanceproject.org.
Sheriff Update on Inmates and Employees Testing Positive for COVID
A total of 803 County jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Many of the inmates are only experiencing minor symptoms of the virus. The infected inmates are in isolation, being monitored around the clock, and are being provided with medical treatment. A total of 723 inmates have recovered from the illness.
A total of 739 department employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and are self-isolating at home; 587 employees have recovered from the virus. Other employees are expected to return to work in the next few weeks. It is unknown when or where the employees were infected with the virus. The department continues to encourage all department members to heed the warnings of health officials.
Latest Stats
193,214 Confirmed Cases (up 1.1% from the previous day)
1,442 Deaths (up 0.3% from the previous day)
1,644,695 Tests (up 0.5% from the previous day)
Current Southern California ICU Capacity: 0% (Goal to lift State Stay-at-Home Order: 15%)
For more statistics from the COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, click the desktop or mobile
tab on the County’s sbcovid19.com website.
|
