The United Against COVID-19 Coalition held a vaccination clinic on Thursday from 11:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. Kern Medical provided 500 vaccines, Pfzier and Johnson and Johnson, free of charge to anyone ages 12 and above.
Many people of all ages attended this event to get their vaccinations and as an incentive for getting the vaccine, tacos and raspados were provided. The Community Action Partnership of Kern food bank provided boxes of food as well as care packages with masks, hand sanitizer, and hand wipes to all the attendees.
21- year-old Elisa Rodriguez, Sales Receptionist for BMW, works with many customers everyday and rushed straight out of work to this event to get vaccinated.
“I don’t want to get COVID and I spent a lot of time with my grandma and I wouldn’t want to risk giving it to her since where I work I deal with a lot of people,” said Rodriguez.
According to the CDC, vaccines for people aged 12-15 years were presented to the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practiceson May 12, 2021 and are now able to get the Pfzier vaccine.
Briana Calderon attended the event with her mother to get the Pfzier vaccine.
“I choose to come get vaccinated because I feel more secure with the vaccination,” said Calderon.
Attendee Sara De La Cruz has already got her vaccine, but brought her mother and brother to get vaccinated.
“I got the vaccine just in case things get worse and just to make the world safer and I brought them so they could be safe in the future,” said De La Cruz.
The CDC says that the vaccination is important because it not only protects the person who gets the vaccine, but also helps to keep diseases from spreading to others, like family members, neighbors, classmates, and other members of your communities and that is the reason why Elsi Cruz is getting vaccinated.
“Getting the vaccine is very important because we keep ourselves safe and we keep others safe and we want to prevent COVID from spreading,” said Cruz.
According to the Kern County Public Health Services Department, the state has announced that California will be moving beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy on June 15 and the economy will fully open if the vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years and older who wish to be inoculated; and if hospitalization rates are stable and low.
“We hope that our community will take advantage of this opportunity to receive a gift card or cash prize, while also reaping the ultimate reward of protection against this deadly virus that receiving the COVID-19 vaccine provides,” says Brynn Carrigan, Director of Kern County Public Health. “Vaccination remains the safest and fastest path to immunity for yourself and the entire community.”
