Stanislaus County will be phasing out mass COVID vaccine clinics. Here’s when and why
Health officials believe about half the adult population age 50 to 64 in Stanislaus County is at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccine providers need to stick needles in more arms to raise the level of vaccination against the coronavirus illness, which has killed 1,035 county residents.
As the turnout declines at stationary vaccine clinics, the county plans to phase out the large clinics in Modesto, Turlock and other cities and take a more targeted approach with vaccination efforts.
The county will start closing down the clinics in mid-May and use mobile clinics and targeted events to continue vaccinating people who may be hesitant or can’t get out to stationary clinics.
The county hopes to get more people fully inoculated before the state reopens the economy June 15 and removes restrictions from businesses and public activities.
Only 41 percent in the 50-to-64 age group are fully vaccinated and 43 percent of seniors 65 and older have the full protection offered by the approved vaccines, according to data reported Tuesday to the county Board of Supervisors.
The largest proportion of COVID patients in local hospitals are seniors 65 and older, representing 45 percent of admissions, even though they’re just 12 percent of positive cases. County staff said that was expected after the December-January coronavirus surge tapered off and fewer younger adults were admitted to hospitals.
The county continues to push the message of vaccinations for the older population. Just over 75 percent of seniors have received one dose of the two-step vaccines, while 43 percent are fully vaccinated.
About 30 percent of adults 18 to 49 are partially vaccinated and 12 percent fully vaccinated. Partial coverage is 2 percent among teens 16 and 17 years old, who are approved for two-dose Pfizer vaccine.
According to a state dashboard, almost 120,000 residents in Stanislaus County are fully vaccinated, or 21 percent of the total population of 557,700. The state says 202,780 residents or 36 percent have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine.
Targeted efforts to replace mass vaccine clinics
The county Health Services Agency released the internal data as traffic slows down at mass vaccination clinics.
Mary Ann Lilly, the agency’s managing director, discussed a plan to start phasing out the large vaccine clinics next month. The county’s vaccination team will hold a final second-dose clinic at the Gladys Lemmons Senior Center in Oakdale on May 14 and won’t use the center again.
The county will still immunize people in Oakdale using mobile clinics or vaccination events for hard-to-reach groups.
Lilly said the COVID vaccine clinics at Modesto Centre Plaza and the Patterson senior center will be phased out around May 31, followed by the clinic at Stanislaus State University in Turlock.
The county will adopt other strategies for offering the coronavirus vaccine to the public. Along with running vaccine clinics, the county receives weekly allocations from the state and distributes vaccine to health care providers and pharmacies.
“We encourage the public to please get vaccinated and don’t let your guard down,” Lilly said. “We are still in a pandemic.”
What is the vaccination coverage in cities?
The county data shows that vaccination coverage varies among the nine cities in Stanislaus County. None of the cities has a level of full vaccination above 20 percent, according to the county data.
Among the two largest cities, Turlock has the highest coverage with 36 percent of the population partially vaccinated and 19 percent fully inoculated, while coverage in Modesto is 34 percent partial and 18 percent fully vaccinated.
Patterson has coverage of 37 percent partial and 19 percent full vaccination. Riverbank is 33 percent partial, 17 percent full; Oakdale, 31 percent partial, 16 percent full; Ceres, 29 percent partial, 17 percent full; Hughson, 29 percent partial, 18 percent full; Newman, 29 percent partial, 15 percent full; and Waterford, 24 percent, 13 percent full.
According to the county, the postal zip code known for the highest counts of coronavirus infections (95351), in west and south Modesto, has the lowest percentage of people vaccinated — 26 percent partial and 13 percent full.
The more affluent zip code of 95356 in north Modesto has the highest vaccination coverage at 43 percent partial and 23 percent full.
The data is also broken down by ethnic group. About 40 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders are partially vaccinated and 22 percent are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination coverage for whites and Latinos is far less, at 29 percent and 21 percent partial vaccination, respectively. Sixteen percent of whites and 12 percent of Latinos are fully vaccinated.
Coverage for Blacks/African Americans is 24 percent partial and 12 percent full vaccination. It is 32 percent partial and 17 percent full for American Indians.
This story was originally published April 23, 2021 at 8:38 AM.
