The Almond Alliance has been in touch with County Health Officers about the number of vaccinations available in each county and to gather information on how the vaccinations are being distributed. As you have heard and read, the process of vaccination has differed in each region and in many cases has been confusing.
Vaccinations are being distributed categorically as defined by the California Department of Public Health with input from the Community Vaccine Advisory Committee. Given the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines, CDPH recommends balancing the prioritization of these scarce resources to maximize the goal of achieving community immunity for all Californians.
Vaccine Supply is Limited, But Preparations Are Underway for Phase 1B
Preparations are underway to begin rolling out vaccines to those eligible in Phase 1B as soon as possible but that is dependent on vaccine availability. For those eligible in Phase 1B, including educators, public safety, social services and food and agriculture workers some counties are evaluating and/or planning for worksite vaccinations, so you should expect that employees may start making inquiries. The next phases of COVID Vaccine Distribution are as follows:
Both federal and state distribution of vaccines has been delayed. As of January 13, a total of 971,829 vaccine doses have been administered statewide. As of January 13, a total of 2,948,350 vaccine doses, which includes the first and second dose, have been shipped to local health departments and health care systems that have facilities in multiple counties.
Vaccination plans for each county are available at county websites. Find your county’s COVID-19 website, Click Here.
It has also been reported that Phase 1B may be divided into two tiers. The first could include 1.4 million education and child-care workers including teachers, 1.1 million emergency services workers, 3.4 million food and agriculture workers including grocery store workers and 2.6 million people who are 75 or older.
Recommendations from the Almond Alliance in preparation for food and agriculture vaccinations.
1. Know your County Health Officer and Ag Commissioner (we can provide contact information and introduction). We are strengthening those relationships for our industry and are happy to share what we know. It will be critically important to familiarize yourself with your county’s vaccination plan and you should expect it to evolve as we move through initial phases of vaccine roll-out, e.g. the recent move-up in priority of those 65 and older. It is likely there will be multiple vaccination pathways for you and your staff including worksites (mentioned above), community vaccination sites (e.g. schools, churches or fairgrounds), community clinics, pharmacies and healthcare providers
2. Offer you site and a location to administer the vaccination if it makes sense.
3. Provide your workforce educational materials about the vaccination.
- Handouts – Know the Facts – COVID 19 Vaccination is here:
- Videos:
- Social Media:
4. Make sure your workers understand what information they will need to receive the vaccination. No officials’ instructions have been provided, but we recommend the following:
Staff should be prepared to show one or more of the following four pieces of identification to prove they are food and agriculture workers:
- Employee badge with photo, OR
- Professional license AND a photo ID, OR
- Signed letter from employer on facility letterhead AND a photo ID, OR
- Payment stub from employer with your name AND a photo ID.
