Health officials say demand for vaccines has slowed

Bi-county Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said local health officials have noticed the demand in signing up for county-sponsored COVID-19 vaccination clinics slowing down recently, but they continue to urge the community to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity.

“If you are eligible, please get vaccinated as soon as possible,” said

Luu. “Robust vaccination uptake is what the Yuba-sutter region needs in order to transition out of this long pandemic tunnel.”

According to Luu, approximately 1,100 people were registered at a countysponsored vaccination clinic held on Wednesday and another 1,200 shots will be available for another clinic scheduled for Saturday.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were still hundreds of slots available for Saturday’s clinic.

Those currently eligible include residents 65 years and older, health care workers, those working in what is considered frontline positions (childcare and education, the food and ag industry, and emergency services); those 18 years and older with underlying medical conditions; and individuals living or working in high-risk congregate settings such as detention facilities, homeless shelters, or behavioral health facilities, along with public transit workers.

Eligible residents can register for Saturday’s clinic by visiting yuba.org/ vaccines or suttercounty.org/vaccine. Those without access to the internet can register for the vaccination clinic by calling 634-7496 (Yuba County) or 8225985 (Sutter County).

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Yuba-sutter area increased by 25 on Wednesday.

Of the total 15,005 cases reported in the area, 107 are currently open cases.

He said students utilize an A/B schedule – students in Cohort A are in the classroom on Tuesdays and Wednesdays while students in Cohort B attend class in person on Thursdays and Fridays. There is also academic intervention in the afternoon each day.

While a group is not in the classroom, he said, they participate in the class virtually. Students on full-time distance learning will remain on their regular class schedule through distance learning.

Cena said Mondays include preparation and collaboration time for the teachers, along with student intervention and enrichment. He said there are also socialemotional check-ins with students.

During this time, students are on asynchronous learning.

He said health and safety protocols – such as masks being required for all adults and students, physical distancing, hand washing and more – continue to be in place. The new CDPH guidance, he said, continues to maintain six feet of social distancing for all adults and between students and adults. However, it reduces the physical distance requirements from six to three feet between student desks.

“Due to the current high case rates in Yuba County, this will not immediately apply at the secondary school level, but will apply at the elementary school level,” Cena said. “According to public health guidance, Yuba County’s viral transmission rate will need to reduce to ‘low to moderate’ in order to enact the three-feet distancing at the secondary level.”

He said due to the reduced physical distancing, the district is working on plans to

permit elementary school students access to up to four days of in-person instruction per week.

“This reduction in distancing requirements impacts classrooms, transportation and nutrition services districtwide so there is much to work through and coordinate so that all schools and stakeholders are on the same page, so that together, we can serve every student, everyday in every way to increase opportunities for student engagement,” Cena said.