Senator Thomas J. Umberg (D-Santa Ana), together with Democratic colleagues and community stakeholders from Orange County held a Joint COVID Vaccination Clinic in Anaheim yesterday and successfully issued first or second COVID vaccine doses to almost 100 people.
The clinic, held at Ponderosa Park in Anaheim on Thursday, August 5th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm was co-sponsored by State Senators Tom Umberg and Josh Newman, Congressmember Lou Correa, State Assemblymembers Tom Daly and Sharon Quirk Silva, Anaheim Councilmember Avelino Valencia, the Orange County Employees Association (OCEA), and Albertson’s.
“To my knowledge, this clinic was unique in its number of elected officials co-sponsoring from all levels of government,” said Senator Umberg. “It’s a true testament to the importance of vaccination amidst our re-increasing rates of COVID that our offices were all able to partner together so quickly and efficiently for this kind of event.”
Most of the sponsors of the event worked together last weekend to canvass neighborhoods in Anaheim with low vaccination rates and make people aware of this clinic, as well. The elected officials combined with their staff members and volunteers from the community knocked on approximately 1,200 doors to talk to residents and reassure them of the safety and efficacy of our vaccines and protocols.
“The only way to win this battle against COVID is one vaccination at a time,” said Congressmember Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana). “We walk our neighborhoods and knock on doors. We are good neighbors. We care about each other. We will win.”
“I am pleased to co-sponsor the Joint COVID Vaccine Clinic yesterday with my colleagues to ensure that public health remains a priority in our district,” said Assemblymember Daly (D-Anaheim). “Vaccines are still the most effective tool to keep our communities safe and thriving.”
With COVID-19 cases back on the rise, it is imperative that we all continue doing our part to protect ourselves and others from the virus,” stated Anaheim Councilmember Avelino Valencia. “Getting vaccinated is the best thing we can do to achieve this. I am proud of the collaborative effort put forth in order to provide this service to our community.”
OCEA General Manager Charles Barfield noted that, “OCEA is proud to stand with our elected leaders to bring vaccines into our community. As the union that represents over 10,000 frontline public servants in Orange County we know how important vaccinating our community is to returning to normal.”
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Orange County have reached levels not seen since March of this year and officials are reporting nearly 4,000 new infections over the last 12 days increasing the county’s cumulative positive rate to 267,908.
Hospitalizations increased from 252 on Friday to 409 on Wednesday, with the number of intensive care unit patients jumping up from 59 to 69. The county has 20% of its intensive care unit beds available and 74% of its ventilators.
Given these numbers, Orange County would be situated in the purple tier under California’s former blueprint for reopening the economy. Purple tier was the most restrictive mandating very limited indoor functions, only small outdoor gatherings, and no indoor dining. While Orange County’s vaccination numbers are on the rise, there remains a significant portion of the population that remains unvaccinated – especially in coastal areas. This is a particular concern with the mutation of the virus in the Delta variant, which is believed to be considerably more contagious than prior strains.
“The opportunity to jointly message and outreach using our combined resources to parts of the community with low vaccination rates was truly impressive,” added Senator Umberg. “Orange County residents should take note that our delegation, as a whole, is unified on this issue and our ability to deliver resources in a combined fashion is – quite frankly – unmatched to any other time in history.”