San Joaquin County still faces significant challenges in COVID-19, as the growing diversity in its area ranks 31st out of 58 in the number of adults who have completed primary vaccination against the disease.
San Joaquin County is one of the smallest counties in terms of area in the state of California, however, it is also one of the most populated with a population of approximately 970 thousand people, in addition to having great cultural diversity since around 30 languages are spoken in its territory.
In addition to being one of the most culturally diverse counties, it has one of the highest COVID-19 death rates compared to other rural areas in the state, with 2,270 deaths.
San Joaquin County Public Health Officer Dr. Maggie Park spoke at an informational panel hosted by Ethnic Media Services that “diversity has been a challenge” because in this county there are different populations that health campaigns must reach.
And the fifth wave of COVID-19 has affected thousands of people, leaving, as of July 28 of this year, 187,934 confirmed cases - in this county - with the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, however, Park noted that "the number is much higher because here we are only counting people who had a PCR test done in laboratories," so this figure does not count those who do it at home.
In San Joaquin County, only 65.6 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated, due to the fact that the area is mostly inhabited by agricultural workers, which has made it difficult for the community to receive the inoculation, so authorities have sought ways to increase these numbers through campaigns and events.
“San Joaquin County is a working-class county with limited access to health services,” said José Rodríguez, president of El Concilio, a nonprofit organization in California that supports marginalized, minority and low-income communities, who also commented that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic they knew that the Latino community would be one of the most affected by the disease.
Rodríguez also pointed out that one of the strategies that has worked best in this area has been to bring vaccination and health campaigns to the communities, because in his words "for people to participate we have to go to where they are instead of waiting for them to come to the vaccination center."
Language, one of the major barriers for the communities
Language, information and technology barriers have been one of the reasons why vaccination rates in this California county have been so low, as Kevin Sunga, Health Director of Little Manila Rising, commented that these resources "are not enough for them to access"
She also stressed that information about the COVID-19 vaccine is not available in sufficient languages for the communities, as there is no information translated into the dialects that some of the county's residents speak.
He also pointed out that part of the population in this area does not have access to a cell phone or the internet, so the difficulties in obtaining information and making an appointment to get vaccinated are greater.
HengSothea Ung, program director for Apsara – serving Cambodian refugees – said that websites for scheduling an appointment to receive the vaccine or obtaining information are not in enough languages to accommodate the diversity that exists in the area. Although they are available in English, Spanish and Korean, they do not consider those who speak Cambodian or another language, which is why there is a lot of misinformation.
“People who don’t speak English can’t access the truth, they can’t know what the real information is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the California Department of Public Health – CDC and CDPH,” HengSothea said.
Myths hinder vaccination
Misinformation has been one of the biggest problems in relation to COVID-19, as various social media networks have contributed to the spread of myths that cause fear in those who are thinking about receiving the inoculation.
"We have seen that social media plays an equal role in informing and misinforming the population," Sunga said.
Infertility, cancer, chips, heart problems, effects on pregnant women, effectiveness and even spiritual and religious issues have caused a large part of the population to give up receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and although the CDC and various organizations have launched campaigns to combat misinformation, there are those who do not have access to these.
José Rodríguez commented that one of the priorities is also to inform and educate the population, so that they can make an informed decision about the vaccine, since people decide not to receive the inoculation out of fear.
Call to pay attention to homeless people
Zonnie Thomson, a community organizer with Faith in the Valley in Stockton, said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem of homelessness in the U.S. has increased, and the majority of this vulnerable population does not have access to medical services, so these communities were among the most affected by the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
"I've had COVID-19 five times, three times when I was homeless," said Nick Worrell, who until recently was homeless.
He commented that one of the many difficulties that this vulnerable population faces is the possibility of accessing inoculation and boosters, since many times they do not have proof that they have already received the first dose.
"When you're homeless, it's hard to keep a document, something that proves that you've been vaccinated," he said.
In this regard, Worrell called on authorities and organizations to find solutions for this community, since many of the people who live on the streets do not have easy access to vaccination campaigns because they are sometimes very far from where they live, so he pointed out that one option could be to take the campaigns to the camps.
In this regard, Thomson noted that the number of homeless people in San Joaquin is very high, however there have not been many efforts to bring vaccination campaigns to these communities. "I have seen only one effort in 2021, since then I have not seen any other follow-up," he said.
"They need protection from extreme temperatures, they have many mental health issues, they cannot access different resources, they deal with very high prices to buy food or water," he said.
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