Health workers will stick it to residents

Samahan Health Centers is holding a COVID-19 vaccine and booster event, co-sponsored by the city of National City from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 22 at Sweetwater High School.
Samahan Community Outreach Coordinator Lorna delos Santos said this marks over 20 outreach events the health care agency has organized in an effort to vaccinate as many local residents as possible, from older adults at Kimball Senior Center to young students at National City elementary schools.

“We’re encouraging everyone to all get immunized. To give you an example of what we encounter when we do outreach at the elementary schools: I asked one mom with four kids if they were vaccinated. They were old enough but hadn’t been vaccinated and even she wasn’t vaccinated,” delos Santos said.

Aside from advising the family of health risks, she questioned the unforeseen cost of contracting the virus.

“So, you have this family in a lower income bracket, do they realize how much it will cost if one or two or all of them get sick? The financial hardship? The medical costs? Food is expensive for a large family, what would COVID cost in dollars, let alone in pain and suffering,” delos Santos asked.

Recently, she said, the vaccine became available to children as young as five-years old, so there are also unvaccinated children in families where parents and older siblings received their vaccination shots months ago.

“Please, bring your children to get vaccinated. How can I convey that to parents: kids wonder ‘don’t you love me?’ when you have vaccinated parents and an unvaccinated child. We’re talking about their lives here. Trust the science, those children are our future,” delos Santos said.

Those residents who were vaccinated several months ago should think about when it is time to receive a booster shot, delos Santos said.

“The booster helps avoid hospitalization. Don’t skip the booster- dose one and two just aren’t enough,” delos Santos said.

Walk-ups are welcome at the event, she said, but people receiving a booster should bring their vaccination card to record the information. Children under 18 will need to have a parent or guardian present.

Asked what homeless teens can do to get vaccinated without a parent consent form, delos Santos said she did not know but would find out “because everyone should get vaccinated.”
Following this event, she can confirm Samahan Health Centers will hold a similar event at Discovery Charter School in Chula Vista within the next three weeks.

“They have 900 students and we can vaccinate so many of them at a mobile clinic,” she said.

Although Samahan is currently focusing on South County, they are looking outside the area for other vaccination opportunities. In addition to planning for the Tet festival celebrating Vietnamese New Year in Mira Mesa from Feb. 4-6, the group also “has East County on our radar,” delos Santos said.

The vaccination events are entirely free, paid for through donations and federal funding.