County continues push for more vaccines
EL CENTRO — Spurred by comments from Imperial County Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar two weeks ago about the equity of COVID-19 vaccines, the supervisors and the county are expected to send a letter to the governor Tuesday with their concerns.
The letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom is meant to express the county’s discontent with the inequity in Imperial County’s vaccine allotment and to demand an increased allocation, according to the letter supervisors are expected to ratify Tuesday.
As of Feb. 11, the Imperial County Health Department has received less than 19,500 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
County CEO Tony Rouhotas Jr., in a letter to the supervisors in explaining the letter to Newsom, said that while they understand there is a lack of vaccines nationwide, Imperial County officials are highly concerned with the nominal amounts received when compared to similar-size counties.
County leadership and other partners have asked for more vaccines, but they have not seen an increase.
“A true concern is the lack of equity in the distribution of vaccines, especially when considering the demographics, COVID-positive rates and other factors of our county,” Rouhotas wrote.
The supervisors are expected to urge the governor to allot more vaccines, as it is one of the hardest-hit areas in the country.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic you and your administration have declared its commitment to health equity, including most recently in the two press conferences held this week in San Diego and Fresno,” according to the letter.
In the letter a table chart showing five counties with populations between 139,652 residents to El Dorado with a population of 193,048 was shown. Imperial County has 191,649 residents.
Only Madera with 30,000 less people received fewer vaccines than Imperial. The other three counties of similar size have received as many as 12,000 more doses.
“Equity was and has been a theme that has resonated in your messages in regard to COVID-19 response efforts,” the letter reads. “Yet, we ask, where is the equity in the vaccine allocation distribution to counties?”
Imperial County with a poverty rate of 22 percent, a median household income of $47,622, 26,522 positive cases, 574 COVID deaths, and an 85 percent Latino population shows the inequity is clear when looking at other counties of similar size, the letter said.
“As stated in our previous correspondence that we sent last month pleading for additional vaccines, the equity and distribution of the vaccine does not seem to meet the need of Imperial County, nor your expressed original intent of prioritizing communities hardest hit by the pandemic,” the letter reads.
According to the letter, signed by all five supervisors, the nominal amount of vaccines received has resulted in not being able to move into the second tier of the distribution plan.
“As a matter of fact, more than half of the vegetables eaten by Americans during the winter come from Imperial County’s agricultural fields,” the letter noted, underscoring the county’s significant farmworker population.
“Again, we urge you to help us achieve equity in COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts,” the letter reads. “Please recognize Imperial County as a county that has an opportunity to assist a region with extreme circumstances that can be corrected in short term with appropriate vaccine allocation.”