SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento County Public Health has partnered with the National Guard to help administer COVID-19 vaccines in an effort to help people in harder-to-reach areas by bringing the vaccines directly into the neighborhoods.
People, 12 years old and older, who visit one of the new mobile clinics will have a choice between Pfizer or the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Joanne Allison lives in South Sacramento and got her COVI-19 vaccine Wednesday at the new mobile clinic located at the Valley Hi Library. She said she didn't originally plan to ever get the shot.
"I spent over a year saying I’m not going to this shot I’m just going to stay in and be hermit," Allison explained. She said she was scared to get the vaccine simply because she fears needles.
"I’m scared of needles they hurt! I wasn’t scared about side effects so much or all of the conspiracy theories. It [was] just plain ole fear of needles," Allison said.
Data shows that vaccination rates are low in neighborhoods like Allison's.
According to the Sacramento County Dashboard, less than 36% of people in the 95823 zip code have been vaccinated along with surrounding neighborhoods like Fruitridge and Colonial Heights who are also seeing low vaccination rates. This is compared to neighborhoods in East Sacramento which are seeing vaccination rates higher than the county average of 45%.
Supervisor Patrick Kennedy says the mobile site has helped the county has been able to administer 2,000 shots per day. He hopes that with the two new mobile units the vaccine will be more accessible to the communities that need it.
"We are trying to get into the neighborhoods that are the least vaccinated, so here in south Sacramento we have some of the lowest rates on vaccinations," Kennedy said.
Appointments for the mobile clinics are available through the MyTurn website but clinics will also accept any patients who simply walk up.
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