Vaccine Funding for Local Businesses, Organizations
T
o further enlist the community’s help in ending the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Cruz County Public Health is partnering with Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County to provide funding and support to local businesses and organizations interested in providing COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine information to their staff and the community. Funding is available to businesses and organizations for vaccine education and outreach, enrollment of priority groups for vaccine appointments, to support the establishment of pop-up vaccination clinics or provide incentives for those getting vaccinated. Incentives may include benefits such as gift cards, food, prizes or other giveaways. Funding may be used to
“COVID Delta Variant” from page 12 Yet applications to UCSC were up 11 percent, and CSU Monterey Bay projects stable enrollment, fewer freshman but more transfers. CSU campuses had been waiting for full approval of vaccines by the Food and Drug Administration, which has granted emergency use, but after a federal judge upheld Indiana University’s vaccine mandate, the CSU chancellor on July 27 announced a vaccine mandate, citing the Delta variant. “Receiving a COVID vaccine continues to be the best way to mitigate the spread of the virus,” said CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro in the announcement. CSU Monterey Bay, which will have 50% face-to-face classes, 40% virtual and 10% hybrid, already has a vaccine registration system, President Eduardo Ochoa said. UCSC, which expects 18,500 students including 9,300 living on campus, starts later -- on Sept. 18 -- and can learn from others, Chancellor Cindy Larive said. She noted the campus policy for masking indoors and “zero person-toperson transmission on campus” with “most cases in the community.” Sequencing to identify variants at the Colligan diagnostic lab on campus is “better than contact tracing” and “important to understanding community spread,” Larive said. Asked about vaccination percentages, Cabrillo’s Wetstein said, “About 50%. We’re finding lots of reluctance.” He estimated 50% of students 18 to 21 are vaccinated. “We’re sending a message the mandate is there – it’s easy to upload (your certificate). We hope those students get the message. It is a hard lift. It has plateaued.” Ochoa said “95% of those registered have vaccinated.”
offset any outstanding expenses related to providing vaccination services and information. “We are hoping to work with trusted community partners to help reach those who have had barriers in getting vaccinated,” said Jennifer Herrera, assistant director of the county Health Services Agency. Interested organizations can fill out the Vaccine Program Interest Form at https://tinyurl.com/ scc-biz-vaccine-funding The COVID-19 Vaccine Team will respond within the week. Questions can be directed to HSAC19VaccineClinics@ santacruzcounty.us. Preference will be given to proposals intended to serve those underserved by current vaccination outreach efforts.
Larive said she did not have good data. Reason for Spread n July 22, at a rare press conference outdoors, public and private sector health leaders in Santa Cruz County urged people to get vaccinated to avoid a hospital stay. The reason is the Delta variant spreads more easily. “Everyone who is currently in the hospital in Santa Cruz County is unvaccinated,” said Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel. “The pandemic is not over.” Dr. Katherine Martin, a 2016 medical school graduate with Sutter Health in Watsonville, made a plea to millennials under 30, noting this age group tends to gather in groups, which increases risk of spreading, and has the lowest vaccination rate. “Even if you never develop symptoms from Covid-19, you can pass it to others,” she said. A UC San Francisco study of 5,000 young adults 18 to 24, who are more likely to spread the virus, reported in July they are concerned about possible side effects. A study out of China referenced by The New York Times found viral loads in Delta cases 1,000 times higher than the alpha or beta variants. Tracking professional athletes has found players who test positive carry very high amounts of virus for seven to 10 days compared to two or three days of the initial virus. The Times cited two Delta spread situations. One was a bachelorette party where a dozen vaccinated but unmasked attendees went to downtown bars in Oklahoma City. Afterward, 17 guests at the July 10 wedding reported positive tests and mild symptoms.
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“COVID Update” page 18
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