Vaccine distribution has been slow due to supply issues Colusa Health and Human Services launches refreshed website

Vaccine distribution in Yuba, Sutter and

Colusa counties, and across the state, has been slow going, due to vaccine manufacture supply chain issues.

Other factors, including population, are further slowing the process locally.

“States and counties are allocated vaccines largely based on population and, of course, in our small, rural communities, that tends to have more of an impact on us than in some of the larger communities,” said

Colusa County Public Health Officer Dr. Greg Burt.

Although relatively new to the market, Burt said the technology and science behind the two COVID-19 vaccines locally available – Pfizer and Moderna – have been around for decades and are very safe but, as with most vaccines, more will be learned about them as more people are vaccinated.

“When I hear people rightfully questioning safety, I would encourage all of you to be having those discussions with your primary physician, leaning heavily on favoring vaccinations for most if not all individuals,” said Burt.

Bi-county Health

Officer Dr. Phuong

Luu said both vaccines have gone through a trial involving tens of thousands of people and have been carefully monitored by independent scientists.

“While there have been some cases with severe side effects, those are few and far between,” said

Luu. “Most side effects are similar to the seasonal flu shot and include soreness at the injection site, and perhaps some fatigue.”

Because of the mild side effects, Luu said when a resident comes into a Yuba or Sutter County clinic to get their vaccine, they are asked to sit on-site for at least 15 minutes after the injection to be monitored for any adverse effects.

Luu also said that it is known that there will be a more robust postvaccination response to the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, compared to the first dose but health officials do not recommend taking Tylenol or ibuprofen prior to getting vaccinated.

“If after the vaccination you develop muscle aches, fever, you may take Tylenol or ibuprofen if there are no other contraindications,” said Luu.

According to Burt, if a population vaccination rate of 80 percent or high is achieved, “then we will be in a much better position to go back to life PRE-COVID.”

Macros Kropf, Colusa County counsel, said an estimated 4 percent of the population of Colusa County had been vaccinated as of last week. The state’s vaccination progress dashboard reported Wednesday that 10,876 residents of Sutter County, or 11 percent, and 5,343 residents of Yuba County, or 6 percent, have been vaccinated to date.

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Yuba-sutter area increased by 47 on Wednesday, bringing the total to

14,170 cases. There are currently 566 active cases in the area.

Twenty-eight people recovered from COVID-19 on Wednesday and a total of 128 local residents have died to date due to the virus.

As of Wednesday, Colusa County health officials reported 2,056 positive COVID-19 cases within the county – an increase of 84 new cases since Feb. 3.

Of the total COVID-19 cases reported within Colusa County, 98 are active cases in isolation – including nine individuals that have been hospitalized at this time.

To date, 1,947 people have recovered from the virus within Colusa County and 11 deaths have been reported.

The Colusa County Department of Health and Human Services announced it launched a refreshed webpage to better outline COVID-19 response efforts within the county.

According to a release issued by DHHS, the webpage now includes a vaccine dashboard outlining doses received by the county, doses distributed to local health care partners, doses administered by DHHS as well as local virus data outlining current statistics within the community. COVID-19 data will be updated daily Monday through Friday and vaccine information will be updated weekly each Monday.

“We understand that the vaccine plan and distribution process is confusing and we are looking to provide resources to clearly communicate our local plan and provide information as we receive it, said Colusa County Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Kelly.

Marcos Kropf, Colusa County counsel, said the county currently receives an average of 200 doses every other week and the state has said additional doses cannot be requested at this time.

As of Monday, 2,000 COVID-19 vaccinations have been allocated and received by Colusa County. Of those, 590 have been administered by Colusa County Public Health and 1,000 have been distributed to local health care partners.

DHHS will be establishing occupational clinics as vaccines are received from the California Department of Public Health, according to the release, and the department plans to utilize CDPH’S My Turn vaccination and eligibility reservation system once it is launched and local vaccine allocation supports a wider distribution.