STOCKTON, Calif. — A retired caregiver and medical biller from Tracy, 62-year-old Anna Dela Rosa is thrilled that she got her Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot.
She got vaccinated at the new Stockton Arena COVID-10 vaccine hub run by Kaiser Permanente.
Emily Dianda, mother of twins and personal trainer, got vaccinated too.
"Super easy. No thinking involved. You just type in your stuff and they direct you where to go," Dianda said about the experience.
But, the question is: Are people in more marginalized, lower income communities getting enough access to the vaccine also?
Community activists like Toni McNeil of Stockton's Faith in the Valley give high praise to county and city leaders for the vaccine rollout.
She said faith-based communities are doing their part as well to get people signed-up who lack access to computers or how to use them.
"They're allowing the congregation members to come into a place of worship or in-home spaces in order to walk them through registering," McNeil said.
Jose Rodriguez with social services provider El Concilio also gave positive feedback to the county's efforts to vaccinate farmworkers.
However, he says community-based organizations need to play a stronger role in the outreach.
"So, instead of asking folks to sign up themselves online, that they come to us and we help them if they don't have access, for example, to the internet or they don't know how to use the computer," Rodriguez said.
San Joaquin County Public Health Services spokesman Daniel Kim said the county is making sure their community partners are aware and are getting the word out to their clients.
The Stockton Arena vaccination hub hopes to administer up to 5,400 doses a day, and officials believe the new vaccination hub will play a big role in getting more people vaccinated.
County health officials said the site will remain open through May.
To register for a vaccine appointment at the Stockton Arena, you can go to the state's "Myturn.ca.gov" website or simply call 2-1-1 and you can be signed up over the phone.
The San Joaquin Regional Transit District will also be providing free bus service to the Stockton Arena. To take advantage, riders will have show their appointment confirmation to the driver.
WATCH ALSO:
