Santa Cruz Board Votes To Require County Staff Vaccinations

Santa Cruz CA

27 August, 2021

4:36 PM

Description

Press release from the County of Santa Cruz: Aug. 27, 2021 The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to require COVID-19 vaccinations for the County's 2,400 employees, representing the second-largest workforce in the County. "This is a significant statement by the Board on the importance of vaccinations to protect the health and safety of our community," Board Chair Supervisor Bruce McPherson said. "Our employees have demonstrated leadership through their already high vaccination rates, and the Board encourages every community member to follow suit if they are able to obtain a vaccine." Approximately 85 percent of all County employees are already vaccinated, and many are under existing vaccine mandates due to their roles in health care or congregate settings. Under the vote, employees have 30 days to comply with the mandate or submit to weekly testing. Santa Cruz County is 13th among California's 58 health jurisdictions for vaccination rates, with 68.7 percent of eligible residents fully vaccinated and 77.7 percent with at least one dose. On Monday, the Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) vaccine was granted full FDA approval, and other vaccines are expected to follow. COVID-19 vaccines are free and widely available through local health care providers, clinics and pharmacies. For a full list of providers as well as a calendar of local pop-up clinics, go to www.santacruzhealth.org/corona... (English) or www.santacruzhealth.org/corona... (Spanish). For local information on COVID-19, go to www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus. Residents may also call (831) 454-4242 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This press release was produced by the County of Santa Cruz. The views expressed here are the author's own.