Santa Cruz County Receives Its First Vaccines; Records New Cases

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Just a day after some 33,000 Pfizer vaccines arrived in the Golden State, Santa Cruz County was welcoming its own batch Tuesday. The county is expected to receive nearly 2,000 doses of the vaccine this week.

Health care workers in the county could receive some of the first administrations as early as Wednesday.

Additionally, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would be receiving 672,000 Moderna vaccines by the end of the month, with 2,800 allocated to Santa Cruz County.

"Thank you all for the sacrifices you've made to protect this community," Santa Cruz County officials tweeted Tuesday. "Help is on the way."

But who will be among the first to receive the vaccine?

Local hospitals, residents and workers at long-term care facilities and first responders will be among the fist to receive the vaccine, according to the county's vaccine plan.

Santa Cruz County is also considering an outdoor or drive-thru vaccination clinic to safely administer the vaccines, according to the plan. Pop-up facilities are also a possibility, according to the county's news release. No locations have yet been finalized.

The county has identified homeless residents as being among those who could be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and is working with the Homeless Persons Health Project to determine how homeless residents might be reached.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted an Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine Friday night, clearing the way for the DOD to receive nearly 44,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine as soon as next week.

Those doses will then be doled out to the 16 bases on a pilot basis.
Some administrations were already given to health care workers in California Monday, with Helen Cordova, an intensive care unit nurse at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, becoming the first.

"I'm feeling great. I'm excited. I'm hopeful," Cordova told reporters after receiving the shot Monday. "And I really encourage everyone to consider receiving the vaccine so we can start putting an end to this pandemic."

While the historic arrival likely mark the beginning of the end, Newsom warned Tuesday that "we are not at the end of the finish line yet."

The county reported 60 total deaths related to coronavirus and 1,569 active cases Tuesday. The area has also reported 1,300 new cases since Thanksgiving, according to health data.

The area also narrowly escaped having to fall under Newsom's regional stay-at-home order Monday, when intensive care unit hovered just above the 15 percent capacity threshold.

An inch under, and the order would be triggered for the county; however, county health officials could still opt into the order, just as neighboring Monterey County did last week.

Santa Cruz County reported a 5.6 percent positivity rate over the past week, lower than the state's 8.4 percent positivity rate.

READ MORE: Who's Getting The Coronavirus Vaccine First In California?

Here's what we know about California's vaccine rollout:

How many vaccines will California receive and when?

Following the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine, California will receive 327,000 doses in the rollout, beginning Sunday night or first thing Monday morning.

And depending on how quickly the Moderna vaccine is approved, a shipment of its vaccines could also be shipped to the Golden State in December. Newsom said Thursday that California could receive some 672,000 doses of Moderna in late December.

Both Pfizer and Moderna require two doses.

California public health officials have said that 2 million vaccines could arrive in California by the end of December, providing the first dose to 2 million. Second doses will follow as more shipments are approved and sent out.

Who will receive the first dose?

Healthcare workers and residents of "long-term care facilities," will receive the first dose, Newsom has said.

During Phase 1a of the rollout, state officials have drawn up the following three tiers of Californians who will be eligible to receive the first dose:

Tier 1

• Acute care, psychiatric and correctional facility hospitals
• Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and similar settings for older or medically vulnerable individuals
• Also, in concordance with ACIP, residents in these settings
• Paramedics, EMTs and others providing emergency medical services
• Dialysis centers

Tier 2

• Intermediate care facilities for persons who need non-continuous nursing supervision and supportive care
• Home health care and in-home supportive services
• Community health workers
• Public health field staff
• Primary Care clinics, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Centers, correctional facility clinics, and urgent care clinics

Tier 3

Other settings and health care workers, including:

• Specialty clinics
• Laboratory workers
• Dental and other oral health clinics
• Pharmacy staff not working in settings at higher tiers

Where will the first vaccines be distributed in the Bay Area and Northern Central Coast?

The initial doses will be allocated to the following regions:

Region II: 80,497 doses: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano and Sonoma

SEE ALSO:

• Contra Costa Considers COVID-19 Fines With 'Bite' For Violators
• Coming To California: What We Know About The Vaccine Rollout
• Santa Cruz Weighs Stay-At-Home Order While Awaiting Vaccines