San Joaquin County eligible population reached 60% fully vaccinated again. Here's why

Laura S. Diaz, The Record
·2 min read

After more than half a year of vaccines being available for people older than 16, San Joaquin County yet again recently passed 60% of the eligible population being fully vaccinated.

How so? When children 5 to 11 years of age became eligible early November, the total amount of people eligible for vaccines increased, leading to a vaccination percentage drop.

On Monday, Oct. 25, San Joaquin County Public Health Services reported 60.1% of the vaccine-eligible population (650,321 people) was fully vaccinated and 8.2% partially vaccinated. Children 5 to 11 years of age were not eligible then.

Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 were rolled out across the county on Nov. 4.

As of Dec. 22, 690,215 people were eligible, 61.4% were fully vaccinated and 9.5% partially vaccinated.

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Samantha Sola with Community Medical Centers prepares syringes with the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic at Madison elementary School in Stockton.
Samantha Sola with Community Medical Centers prepares syringes with the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic at Madison elementary School in Stockton.

As more kids, teenagers and adults 49 years and younger got vaccinated, they boosted the county’s eligible population back to about 60% fully vaccinated and 9% partially vaccinated

With more individuals eligible for vaccines, reaching these percentages again also means not only that more people are vaccinated now than more than a month ago, but also the about unvaccinated 30% represents more people than before.

So, what does this mean for San Joaquin County? With omicron variant spreading (already reported nearby in Sacramento County) and the holiday season, “our immediate goal is to get people boosted, especially those over age 50 and those with underlying risk factors,” said Dr. Maggie Park, San Joaquin County Public Health Services' public health officer.

In the latest COVID-19 public health report published on Dec. 22, Public Health Services has not reported or recorded an omicron variant case.

“Additionally, in terms of health equity, we are working towards getting folks in our Healthy Places Index Quartile 1 to be as vaccinated as those in Quartile 4 — or within a 10% degree of separation,” Park said. “Overall, across all eligible age groups in the county, we’d like to reach 70% fully vaccinated.”

In San Joaquin County, out of the 30,522 people that integrate Quartile 4’s vaccine-eligible population (the healthiest of the four designated by the state), 77.9% are fully vaccinated. Yet Quartile 1’s vaccine-eligible population — the least healthy and most populated with about 274,379 people — is 55.4% fully vaccinated, according to state data.

Best way to stay safe this holiday season? By getting vaccinated, boosted if eligible, and wearing a mask indoors as mandate by the state until Jan. 15.

Record reporter Laura Diaz covers social justice and societal issues. She can be reached at ldiaz@recordnet.com or on Twitter @laurasdiaz_. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: COVID-19: How the eligible population reached 60% fully vaccinated again