Ag workers in SLO County receive COVID-19 vaccine
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. - More than 600 agriculture workers in San Luis Obispo County received the COVID-19 vaccine last week.
The workers were vaccinated on Friday as part of a special half-day event in Arroyo Grande.
The event was hosted by the SLO County Farm Worker Outreach Task Force.
“I am thrilled that together we can provide vaccines to so many of our local agriculture workers,” said San Luis Obispo County Public Health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein in a news release. “Events like this are key to ensuring equitable and efficient access to vaccines, and I am grateful to the partners working tirelessly with us to ensure farm workers get the critical protection this vaccine provides.”
Agriculture workers across the state are eligible to receive the vaccine as part of the current eligibility phase, but statewide there have been some barriers reaching all of those eligible.
At Friday's clinic, multilingual volunteers from the Promotores Collaborative, Herencia Indígena and Dignity Health helped with interpretation and education and helped get agriculture workers registered for the vaccine.
“It’s so important for our farm workers, especially in our Latino and Indigenous communities who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, to get updated health information and services like the vaccine from trusted messengers in an environment that is welcoming and safe,” said Erica Ruvalcaba-Heredia, Director of the Promotores Collaborative of San Luis Obispo County.
More than half of all cases of COVID-19 in California are Latino or Indigenous populations. The Latino community makes up more than 46% of all deaths throughout the state.
"Health educators" are visiting work sites to share information about coronavirus vaccines as part of SLO County’s Farm Worker Outreach Task Force. The task force is working to provide COVID-19 prevention information throughout the pandemic.
Brent Burchett, Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, said farmworkers have worked nonstop during the coronavirus pandemic, driving home the point that agriculture workers never stopped farming during the pandemic.
“This is a proud day for our Farm Bureau and agriculture community. I don’t think we’ve ever been a part of something more important than getting this vaccine to our essential agricultural workers,” said Burchett. "So many times over this past year we’ve heard ‘thank you farm workers,’ but today I think we truly showed our gratitude for their work.”
Additional mass vaccination clinics are planned to take place in Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccination effort in San Luis Obispo County, click here.
