Kern’s poorest areas see worst of COVID
Kern County has one of the highest rates of coronavirus spread in the state, but some parts of the county are harder hit than others. By and large, those areas tend to be more disadvantaged than the community at large. And Kern County’s disadvantaged communities have been harder hit than their counterparts throughout the state.
According to the most recent statistics released by the California Department of Public Health, 25.1 percent of people living in Kern’s worst-off communities who received a COVID test from Dec. 20 to Dec. 26 were diagnosed with the virus. That ranks third in the state, just behind San Bernardino and Riverside, which are both at 25.4 percent.
“It’s a startling statistic, and it’s one that we hope people will visualize as they make decisions,” said Tim Calahan, spokesman for Clinica Sierra Vista, which specializes in primary care for vulnerable parts of Kern and Fresno counties.
In certain parts of Kern’s socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, COVID-19 spread is especially prevalent. Clinica data shows its Lamont clinic has returned an average of 34 percent positivity rate throughout most of the pandemic, with Delano not far behind.
But now the spread no longer appears to be confined to one or two hot spots. It seems like it’s everywhere.
The Californian Department of Public Health has tracked coronavirus spread in low-income parts of the state in what it calls the health equity metric. Meant to ensure California’s poorest residents aren’t left behind, the metric keeps
tabs on COVID-19 spread in the bottom 25 percent census tracts of counties with more than 106,000 residents.
In order to resume economic and social activity, counties must ensure their most disadvantaged census tracts don’t lag behind wealthier areas.
Kern County as a whole experienced a 20.7 percent positivity rate for the week starting Dec. 20. Both of these metrics are far higher than the 8 percent required to reopen certain businesses. Still, some say the higher coronavirus numbers in disadvantaged areas have brought to light issues that have been prevalent for a long time.
“For decades, elected officials and decision makers have not prioritized the health of communities of color and low-income families,” Reyna Olaguez, communications director for Building Healthy Communities Kern, wrote in an email to The Californian. “They are forced to live in unsafe housing, lack adequate access to health care and parks, have very low trust in government and on and on and on. Poor people are already at a dangerous disadvantage. Crises like the pandemic just exacerbate the problems that are already there.”
In October, Building Healthy Communities Kern had been slated to receive a $1.2 million contract for COVID-19 outreach to at-risk communities before the Kern County Board of Supervisors abruptly canceled the plan over Facebook posts the organization had made months earlier calling to defund the police. By canceling the contract, supervisors delayed the outreach by at least a month.
“We need to slow the spread, make sure people get vaccinated and can return to work safely,” Olaguez said. “But as I said, this crisis is not just a problem for the present. It has a terrible and tragic past. Our elected officials need to pass policies that are more equitable for low-income families.”
The county eventually hired temporary workers to fill the role of the local nonprofit. As the pandemic has worn on, the Kern County Latino COVID-19 Task Force has also deployed mobile testing sites to vulnerable areas.
“Many families live in multigenerational households, parents are essential workers and are more accessible to contracting COVID,” Task Force Co-Founder Jay Tamsi wrote in an email. “This virus spreads like crazy, you will see many positive cases. However, this also means the family members who test positive can self-isolate and the children can quarantine.”
Over the last few weeks, he said, testing in the county’s poorest census tracts had increased, leading to a greater likelihood that family members of those who have tested positive can isolate.
“I believe we are powerful in numbers,” Tamsi added. “It’s up to each one of us to do our part to save lives through education, outreach and awareness, especially in the most disproportionate social and economic areas in Kern County.”
The vaccine could offer the best hope for defeating COVID-19 not just in poor areas, but everywhere. However, before the vaccine can be widely distributed, the county will likely experience another surge, as new cases from gatherings at Christmas and New Year’s begin to surface.
“Community health centers, we really do see the first indications of a lot of these upticks because we are getting the test of a patient,” Calahan said, noting there was a lag between the time somebody is first tested and when they seek medical treatment. “We’re certainly seeing indicators that there is going to be a considerable uptick in the amount of people seeking care in the next three weeks.”