Here’s how Stanislaus County is bringing COVID-19 vaccinations to Modesto homeless
Stanislaus County has started vaccinating people at homeless shelters as California has expanded the groups eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
County public health workers were at The Salvation Army in Turlock last Wednesday for the first clinic under the expanded guidelines. About 100 people were vaccinated, said Kamlesh Kaur, a county Health Services Agency spokeswoman.
Kaur said that included workers going to homeless encampments to vaccinate people.
And there will be a vaccination clinic Tuesday at The Salvation Army’s Berberian Center in Modesto. Kaur said it is open to all homeless people in the area.
County workers were at the Modesto Gospel Mission on Monday for a clinic. They are administering the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine and not the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which require two shots.
Gospel Mission Executive Director Jason Conway said Monday afternoon that 105 people — nearly all of them mission guests — were vaccinated. He said the 105 includes a couple of staff members and a handful of walk ins.
Vaccinations not mandatory
Conway said he was “super excited, super pleased” with Monday’s turnout. He said the mission has 140 to 155 adult guests at its emergency shelters and transitional living programs. It also has about 10 children in its women and children shelter.
The mission is not requiring its guests to get vaccinated. “It’s optional at this point,” Conway said. “We are not making it mandatory to receive services.”
Conway said it’s important to let people make their own decisions, and he expects over time more homeless people will decide to get vaccinated. He said the mission continues to follow the pandemic safety protocols, including requiring people to wear masks and practice physical distancing.
“It’s a great thing,” said Conway about the vaccinations, adding he has been vaccinated. “... It gives our society a real solution to solve the pandemic.”
A 37-year-old homeless woman staying at the Gospel Mission was among those who were vaccinated Monday. “I think it’s good,” she said. “It doesn’t bother me.”
Conway said the mission also was relying on word of mouth to draw in nearby homeless people.
The clinic did draw the attention of a 38-year-old Modesto woman who is not homeless. She said she learned about the clinic from her friend’s fiancé, who works at the mission. The woman said she had an appointment for two-shot vaccination regime but decided the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccination was a better option.
‘... the smart thing to do’
“I got COVID already, and I don’t want to get it again,” the woman said before she tried to see whether the clinic would vaccinate her. “It was like the worst flu symptoms I’ve ever had in my life. Five days of it. I couldn’t function.”
She said she got sick in late December.
“I don’t want to spread it,” she said when asked why she wanted to be vaccinated. “I want to be able to get out more and socialize more without that fear of catching it again. And I have kids, and we live in a home together. We have roommates and stuff, and they have kids. It just seems like the smart thing to do.”
She said four adults and six children live in a two-bedroom sober living grad house.
California expanded vaccinations March 15 to several groups of people, including those in congregate living spaces, such as homeless shelters, because the state says these places are at high risk for outbreaks. The expanded eligibility includes homeless people not staying at shelters.
And under discretion provided by the state to vaccinate people from disadvantaged communities, Stanislaus County last Thursday made the vaccine available to all county residents 16 years old and older.
No major outbreaks at shelters
Kaur, the Health Services Agency spokeswoman, said the county is working with shelters and homeless service providers to hold these clinics throughout Stanislaus County.
Kaur there have been some COVID-19 outbreaks at homeless shelters during the pandemic but nothing major.
The Modesto Gospel Mission had an outbreak over the summer. Conway said about 45 men tested positive for COVID-19, primary guests and the rest were staff. And he said there was about eight cases in November among staff.
Conway said none of the cases was serious. He said the mission was not the source for the summer outbreak or the November cases. He said the county has been a great help in the pandemic, providing guidance and other help, including regular testing as needed.
This story was originally published April 5, 2021 at 2:25 PM.
