Health & Fitness
Gilroy High School To Open As Large COVID-19 Vaccination Site
The site will eventually provide up to 2,000 vaccinations a day and targets a community that has been hard hit by the pandemic.
GILROY, CA — A new vaccination center at Gilroy High School will open on Sunday and provide up to 2,000 vaccinations a day, Santa Clara County public health officials announced.
The site is intended to ensure access to the vaccine to communities in the county that have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilroy has the highest rate in the county of residents who have tested positive for the virus per 100,000 residents, with 12 percent of residents contracting COVID-19, according to Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Deborah Flores.
“With such a high rate of community transmission, making vaccines available to our residents is essential in the fight against COVID-19,” Flores said in a press briefing on Wednesday. “Gilroy High School is a well known site in South County with two large gyms, a large parking lot, and it’s very accessible.”
Find out what's happening in Gilroyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Beginning Sunday, frontline workers in Phase 1B in the state’s blueprint will be eligible to receive a vaccine. This group includes teachers, emergency responders and workers in food and agriculture.
“Gilroy and Morgan Hill have been especially hard hit by this pandemic,” said Mike Wasserman, President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “Vaccinating our community as quickly and equitably as possible is the key to healing and returning to some sort of normalcy as soon as possible.”
Find out what's happening in Gilroyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The gyms at Gilroy High School will be set up as a walk-in site, and the county will ensure that vaccinations will not interfere with students returning to campus, according to Dr. Jennifer Tong, Associate Chief Medical Officer at the Santa Clara Medical Center.
“Overcoming barriers and providing equitable access to vaccines is a top priority for the County of Santa Clara,” said Tracy Stephens, Health Center Manager for the county’s health system. “This site is a huge step in reaching that goal for our South County community. South County residents know the toll of COVID-19 all too well.”
Gilroy High School is located at 750 W. 10th St. Click here to schedule a vaccination.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
