Lake County to stay in purple tier for now
Prepares for vaccine distribution transition
LAKE COUNTY >> The county is inching closer to the state’s red tier but will remain in the state’s purple tier for now, as COVID-19 cases continue to decline in Lake County and across the state, Dr. Gary Pace, the county’s public health officer, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
Sarah Marikos, epidemiologist for Lake County, added that it was “incredibly promising” that the COVID-19 case rate reached its lowest point since October.
Currently Lake County is receiving about 2,000 vaccine doses weekly. Pace said that supply should improve over the coming weeks, with the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine expected to be shipped to California in the next week or so.
Soon, Blue Shield of California will be taking over control of vaccine distribution across the state, including appointments, data and tier designations. Pace said he was not sure if the county would be receiving additional staff or support from the state to help with the transition.
“It makes it harder for a small county like us because we kind of have to fight a little bit harder to make sure that our interests are being well-represented,” Pace said.
However, he said he was optimistic about the new appointment system being easier to use than the county’s system. He provided phone numbers for those having difficulty making appointments online. Seniors can call 707-993-4644.
A bilingual line staffed on Fridays has also been created and can be reached at 707-262-4162, 707-262-4153 or 707-262-4159. Pace said that residents should leave a voicemail if there is no answer and they will receive a call back. They can also send an email to mhoac@lakecounty.gov.
When Supervisor Jessica Pyska asked what would happen to the committee recently formed to make recommendations about local vaccine distribution, in light of the state taking over, Pace said he was not sure, but encouraged people with suggestions to continue to send them in to mhoac@lakecounty.gov. He said the committee was meeting later on Tuesday and that would likely be discussed.
Earlier, Marikos noted it was important to consider that people of color under 65 years old were a population that hadn’t yet been eligible to receive a vaccine but made up a disproportionate amount of COVID19-related deaths.
Among people of color who have died from COVID-19 in Lake County, 65% were under 65 years old, while 36% of people of color over 75 have died. Among white, non-hispanic people, however; 53% of the people who have died have been over 75, while 33% have been ages 65 to 74 and 13% have been under 65.
About 9,300 residents have received at least one vaccine dose so far, equivalent to about 18% of the adult population, according to county data. About 4,200 residents, making up about 8% of the population, have received two doses.
The racial or ethnic group breakdown for those who have received at least one vaccine dose is as follows: white: 16%, Latino or Hispanic: 8%, Native American: 4%, other race: 16%, Black : 10%, Asian: 26%, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: 81%, according to county data.
Marikos noted that the county’s data for the local Native American population was not accurate because it did not include data from the Indian Health Service. County data also did not reflect Veterans Affairs data, she said.
In other actions, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to approve seats for a committee to promote “tolerance, respect, equity and inclusion,” including two supervisors, a county law enforcement representative, two city representatives, two tribal representatives and four public representatives. The county will begin accepting applications for the committee. Board members committed to reaching out to all of the local tribes to see how they would like to be represented.
“It makes it harder for a small county like us because we kind of have to fight a little bit harder to make sure that our interests are being well-represented.”
— Dr. Gary Pace, the county’s public health officer