LAKEPORT— Lake County is considering ways to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccines through mobile clinics and other measures as demand has decreased, said Dr. Evan Bloom, interim public health officer, on Tuesday.
Bloom told the Board of Supervisors that the county was working to address vaccine hesitancy as well as simply access for people unable to go to vaccination sites. Bloom also said that people could request a vaccination at home, if needed, through the state’s website, myturn.ca.gov.
The county is targeting the age groups 18-49, with 66% of people unvaccinated, and age 65+, with 40% of people unvaccinated. Approximately 52% of people ages 12 and older have been partially or fully vaccinated in the county, and 43% of people ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to county data.
Lake County and California case rates are the lowest they have been since the start of the pandemic. Bloom said he still expected the county to remain in the state’s orange tier until the state’s tiered system is disbanded and all restrictions, except for “megaevents” with over 5,000 attendees, are lifted on June 15.
While the county has a good vaccine supply overall, Bloom acknowledged there had been some recent “hiccups” at local vaccination sites.
“Some of the vaccine that should have been ordered to cover those appointments and walk-ins was not at certain sites, and therefore, it was a little bit low,” he said. “However, we are aware of the problem and we are currently addressing it so that does not happen again.”
Bloom also said he would be “remiss” not to mention that there had been COVID-19 cases among vaccinated people in the county. He said this was to be expected as the vaccines are highly effective, but not 100% effective.
“We have had a couple of cases, literally a couple, but that being said, the cases have been either asymptomatic … or the patient did have symptoms with COVID-19, but that they were mild,” Bloom said.
Sarah Marikos, epidemiologist for Lake County, said that racial/ethnic backgrounds for cases over the last month had mirrored the county’s racial/ethnic composition.
Marikos said about 68% cases were among people who identified as white, non-Hispanic, and about 20% of cases were among people who identified as Latino or Hispanic.
About half of cases were among people 20-55 years old, an age group making up about one-third of the local population, she said. The rate among this age group has been steady throughout the pandemic, she added.
