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Kern moves to vaccinate educators, agricultural workers, emergency service workers

  • Celeste Ramos

    • Michelle Corson, Public Relations Officer/Kern County Public Health answers questions for the local news media concerning increasing Covid 19 vaccination capacity at the Kern County Fair Grounds. The indoor facility is currently operating and a drive through facility that has been built will greatly increase the capacity to vaccinate when it opens. Michelle Corson, Public Relations Officer/Kern County Public Health, Tom Beckett, site coordinator at the Kern County Fairgrounds Covid 19 vaccination facility and Kern County Fire Department Battalion Chief Bill Steers were on hand to give a tour and answer question about the expansion of the vaccination facility at the fair grounds. A huge next step at the facility will be the opening of a 14 lane drive through vaccination that will greatly increase the number of people that will be able to be vaccinated when it opens. Currently a walk up indoor site is serving to vaccinate people at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Photos by Freelance photojournalist, Henry A. Barrios

    Beginning Sunday, Kern County became part of the Blue Shield of California, the third party administrator that will be responsible for the creation, management, and oversight of the statewide network of vaccine providers. 

    Blue Shield will also approve what providers can administer the vaccine. Additionally, the MyTurn software will also be implemented in Kern County. MyTurn.CA.gov will be the new statewide website that will determine eligibility and provide scheduling to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine allotment and management will also be a part of the MyTurn software. As Kern fully implements MyTurn locally, all providers that are able to administer the COVID-19 will use the MyTurn software for scheduling future appointments for the 1st and 2nd dose of vaccine appointments.

    To schedule or to see if you are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, visit Myturn.CA.gov or call the State Center at (833) 422-4255. The call center will be available for service from 8AM-8PM Monday through Friday, and on weekends from 8AM-5PM. If you are currently not eligible for a vaccine, you may sign up to be notified when you may receive your vaccine on the website. 

    Beginning Monday, counties are to allocate 30 percent of COVID-19 vaccine allotments to be used for priority sector populations in Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccination plan. This population includes educational and childcare service workers, agriculture workers, and emergency service workers. Seventy percent of the remaining COVID-19 vaccines will be specifically allocated for people that are 65 years or older and healthcare workers. In Kern, approximately  67.47 percent of COVID-19 related deaths are 65 years and older, and makes up 11.6 percent of Kern County’s population.

    Brynn Carrigan, the Director of Kern Public Health, said at the rate of supply of COVID-19 vaccines received in Kern, it will take 11 weeks to fully vaccinate the population. 

    Kern Public Health also announced that Kern County is capable of administering 45,000 COVID-19 shots per week, but the supply is simply not there, and they continue to advocate more allotments with the State. The county also stated that if given the supply, all of Kern County residents may be vaccinated within 6 months. 

    Ryan Aslop, Administrative Officer of Kern, asked the governor to visit Kern County and meet with agriculture workers and teachers stating, “We have a mass vaccination site, we’ve done the work and it is set up right here in Kern County, and we are capable of administering at least 5,000 doses per day. . . if we had they doses.”

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