Merced County teachers, childcare workers added to eligibility list for COVID vaccine
The Merced County Department of Health announced on Friday that educators and childcare workers have been added to the list of essential workers now eligible to receive the COVID vaccine locally.
The first farm and agricultural workers in Merced County started receiving the vaccine on Thursday. More of those workers will receive vaccines Saturday at Buhach Colony High
“Despite low vaccine allocations from the state—our health department, healthcare providers and the Board of Supervisors are tirelessly working together to protect this community with scheduling an additional 6,000 doses of vaccine this week—that is a significant achievement,” said Merced County Supervisor Daron McDaniel in news release.
According to the release, to ensure vulnerable groups are being prioritized 70% of the allocated vaccines in Merced County will be allocated for individuals 65 and older. The other 30% will go toward the essential workers.
Frontline essential workers also include paramedics, first responders, food manufacturers, workers in animal care facilities, and education administrators.
To receive e-mail notifications when additional Merced County vaccine clinics become available, register at www.vaccinatemercedcounty.com or call 209-381-1180.
Some of the upcoming clinics include:
- Apex Medical Group, Los Banos, and Dos Palos locations, please contact 209-826-2222 (Los Banos) or 209-392-0022 (Dos Palos) to schedule appointments.
- Castle Family Health Center, at Buhach Colony High School, call 209-726-1235 to schedule appointments.
- Golden Valley Health Centers, open to 65 years and older only, at this time in multiple locations throughout Merced County, call 866-682-4842 to schedule appointments.
- Livingston Community Health, 600 B Street, Livingston, call 833-850-3500 to schedule appointments.
- Merced Faculty Associates, open to existing MFA patients only at this time. MFA will reach out to eligible patients to schedule appointments. If you are eligible and haven’t been reached, please call your primary care provider’s office.
- Merced County, pop-up clinics February 27 in Hilmar and Gustine. Eligible individuals who previously registered through the www.vaccinatemercedcounty.com website, or through the Public Health information line, will receive an email notification or be contacted by telephone with appointment options by HR Support (may come from outside the 209 area code).
“Throughout the course of this pandemic, the ongoing commitment and dedication from our provider community has greatly contributed to broader access for vaccine; and as the county awaits a higher allocation, this partnership will be key in serving our community. Providers play a big role, perhaps the largest, in providing vaccines as part of overall patient care,” said Dr. Salvador Sandoval, County Health Officer.
Merced County approaching 400 COVID-19 deaths
The coronavirus death total is climbing toward 400 deaths in Merced County since the pandemic started 11 months ago.
The Merced County Department of Public Health reported two new COVID-19 related deaths on Friday, bringing the total of fatalities to 397 since the start of the pandemic.
Of the latest deaths, both were men over the age of 65 with known underlying health conditions.
On Friday, Merced County also reported 56 new COVID-19 confirmed cases, raising the total to 28,871 residents who have been infected by the virus since the start of the pandemic.
There are 1,165 Merced County residents estimated to be actively infected — a drop of 76 cases since Monday.
In the six-county central San Joaquin Valley the overall death toll from COVID-19 pushed beyond 3,000 on Friday. Collectively, the counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare reported 35 deaths on Friday, 135 so far this week, and 603 this month.
The number of residents hospitalized in Merced County due to the coronavirus is 30 — with six people in the ICU.
According to the state, Merced County hospitals had eight ICU beds remaining as of Thursday.
Merced County has a positivity rate of 6.2%, meaning the level of people among those who’ve been tested who had a positive result. That’s ticked back up from 5.9% a few days ago, although at the beginning of the month the positivity rate was 11%.
California expected to add Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week
California expects to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week and to receive more than 1.1 million of the single-dose shots in the next three weeks, according to Governor Gavin Newsom.
The vaccine, still in the final federal approval process, has fewer handling restrictions than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines now being used. Those vaccines require two doses to be fully effective and must be stored at extremely low temperatures.
The Biden administration has told California it can expect to receive 380,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines next week and Newsom said he expects the same amount each week for three weeks, but it’s just a preview.
Around the Valley
Stanislaus County reported two new deaths, bringing the total to 946 fatalities since the start of the pandemic. There were also 97 new cases reported, raising the total cases to 53,303.
Fresno County reported 21 new deaths, raising the total number of deaths to 1,443 since the start of the pandemic. There were 221 new cases of coronavirus confirmed, raising the total cases to 95,015.
Kings County: The case count pushed to beyond 22,000 cases on Friday, with the addition of 52 new cases raising the total infections to 22,003 to date. No additional deaths were reported, so the death toll to date remains at 218. More than 7,200 of Kings County’s cases, and 17 deaths, have been among inmates at state prisons in Avenal and Corcoran.
Madera County: 17 new cases Friday, 15,356 to date; no additional deaths, 209 to date.
Mariposa County: No new cases, 394 to date; no additional deaths, seven to date.
Tulare County: 85 new cases, 47,869 to date; 12 additional deaths, 758 to date.
Almost 210,000 Valley residents have, at some point over the past year, tested positive for COVID-19, whether they experienced symptoms of the viral respiratory disease or not. Of those, 3,032 residents succumbed to the illness.
This story was originally published February 26, 2021 at 6:58 PM.
