Vaccine Eligibility Open To All Teachers, Support Staff in County
Teachers Can Tap District Vaccine Resources or Use Any Available Provider
All teachers, school support staff, and licensed child care providers are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in San Bernardino County. Vaccines are available to public and private school staff as well as those serving colleges and universities.
Educators and staff can now use any existing vaccine distribution site in the county by making an appointment at sbcovid19.com/vaccine for a county or state public health site, local pharmacy, grocery store, physician’s office, or hospital. Also, many schools and districts have made arrangements with local hospitals to vaccinate their employees, so teachers and support staff are encouraged to ask their employers if such arrangements have been made.
Eligibility is limited to those educators and staff who live or work in San Bernardino County. They are reminded they do not need to arrive more than 15 minutes before their appointment, and proof of residency and employment is required at the time of vaccination.
“Thanks to everyone’s efforts to bring this virus under control, kindergarten-through-sixth grade schools in our county can now reopen,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “Making vaccinations available to all teachers and school staff will allow many schools to bring students back into the classroom where they belong.”
On Friday the county registered an adjusted case rate of below 25 for five consecutive days, which means that beginning this week, all K-6 schools became eligible to reopen, provided they follow specific safety measures.
“The potential reopening of our schools is great news for our children and their parents,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chair Dawn Rowe. “We hope that all teachers and school staff will take advantage of this new vaccination opportunity.”
Seniors over age 65 can find open appointment times
In recent weeks the County has made great strides in vaccinating our senior population, and vaccination appointments that were once scarce are now available at many places for the same day. The County continues to urge seniors 65 and over to get vaccinated.
The County is also taking additional steps to assist seniors trying to schedule vaccination appointments with extended hours for its vaccination hotline (909-387-3911) and added staff to handle calls. The County last week launched a mobile vaccination program focused on senior centers, libraries, and other locations convenient for the county’s older residents (see related story).
Frontline health care workers, law enforcement officers, and firefighters are also eligible for vaccinations. The State will eventually provide direction and enough vaccines to open eligibility to other sectors of the county population.
 State Issues New Guidelines for Competitive Sports for Counties with Acceptable COVID-19 Case Rate
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued updated guidance for youth and recreational adult sports that detail how participants can pursue physical activities while preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The updates, which take effect on February 26 this Friday, permit outdoor high-contact and moderate-contact sports in counties designated as being in the Purple (Widespread) and Red (Substantial) tiers, as long as they meet a specific case rate criteria.
Under the updated guidance, outdoor high-contact sports can be played in counties in either the Purple or Red tier with a case rate at or below 14 per 100,000. San Bernardino County’s case rate is currently 14.3 but has been declining steadily in recent days, so officials are hopeful that sports will be able to resume locally under the new guidelines by the time they take effect on Friday.
“We have seen our case rate, along with hospitalizations, decrease substantially since peaking in late December and early January,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “Based on present trends, we’re confident these guidelines will apply to our county within days.”
The new guidance specifies that weekly COVID-19 testing will be required for coaches and participants (age 13 and above) playing high-contact sports such as football, rugby and water polo. Testing results should be made available within 24 hours of competition.
Athletes engaged in moderate-contact sports played outdoors, including baseball, cheerleading and softball, can be played without the testing requirement.
Due to the nature and risk of COVID-19 transmission while participating in these sports, teams must provide information regarding risk to all parents or guardians of participating minors, and each parent must sign an informed consent indicating their understanding and acknowledgement of the risks.
Teams playing in a less restrictive sports tier are still strongly encouraged to follow a variety of steps (listed in the guidance) to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission — including wearing face coverings, practicing physical distancing, and following appropriate hand hygiene and equipment sanitation.
To learn more about the updated guidance and obtain information, such as examples of sports with different levels of contact and risk by tier, please review the full guidelines here.
‘Community Conversation on COVID-19’ Livestream Town Hall This Wednesday
San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. is hosting a “Community Conversation on COVID-19” this Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. This is a virtual community town hall aimed at sharing key information surrounding the vaccine roll-out in the county.
Residents of Supervisor Baca’s district are welcome to attend the event either through Facebook Live, YouTube Live or via a phone conference line. The event is also available in Spanish using a Spanish-specific telephone link (below). The town hall will also allow for submitted questions during the event.
The Community Conversation on COVID-19 will feature industry professionals Dr. Sharon Wang, an infectious disease specialist from Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), County Public Health Director Corwin Porter, and County Assistant Executive Officer Diana Alexander -- all of whom will provide expert, up-to-date information to participants.
Supervisor Baca will moderate the conversation covering the following topics:
- Vaccine myth busting
- Expert medical advice regarding the benefits and potential side effects of the vaccine
- Resources available to learn more about vaccines
- How and when to schedule an appointment for the vaccine
- How we’re helping hard-to-reach and diverse populations
There are three ways to participate in the Community Conversation on COVID-19 town hall:
Via Facebook Live: @SupervisorBacaJr
Via YouTube Live: https://tinyurl.com/bacajr
Via telephone in English: 669-900-9128; Meeting ID - 824 5205 1039
Via telephone in Spanish: 609-663-4744
For more information about this event, please visit www.sbcounty.gov/bosd5/covidconversation. For ongoing COVID-19 updates and to sign up for vaccine notifications, please visit www.sbcovid19.com.
KNBC-TV News ventured out to Lytle Creek last Friday to cover the arrival of the Senior Mobile Vaccination Clinic
Senior Mobile Vaccination Clinics Continue Rollout
As part of our efforts to vaccinate older residents residing throughout our geographically far-flung regions, San Bernardino County continued dispensing Senior Mobile Vaccination Clinicsthis week in Lake Arrowhead with plans to visit many more locations through the next several weeks.
There are plans to have many more such clinics strategically located in each of the five supervisorial districts. Senior Mobile Vaccination Clinics are planned for the communities of San Bernardino, Chino Hills, Colton, Lucerne Valley, Twentynine Palms, Rancho Cucamonga, Chino, Hesperia, Montclair, Trona, Needles, and others. The County is using two mobile vaccination vans to reach seniors in rural and mountain communities.
“We have more than 20,000 seniors that we think live in these isolated, more rural communities,” said San Bernardino County Second District Supervisor Janice Rutherford. “We have to get the vaccine to them, make it easier on them.”
The new mobile vaccination sites will exclusively serve 65+ residents. The County’s Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) is coordinating the scheduling and locations of each clinic, and working with local area community partners in alerting seniors and setting up appointments.
The mobile vaccination vans have been outfitted with vaccines and related supplies. Once established at a location, seniors will be able to walk up for their vaccine, and directed to an area for a 15-minute observation period to monitor for any possible side effects. A second appointment is made for them at the same time.
Latest Stats
284,866 Confirmed Cases (up 0.1% from the previous day)
2,637 Deaths (up 1.0% from the previous day)
2,429,329 Tests (up 0.4% from the previous day)
For more statistics from the COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, click the desktop or mobile tab on the County’s sbcovid19.com website.
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