Print
Millions of front-line workers in California are falling through the cracks of an undersupplied COVID-19 vaccine distribution system, putting entire communities at prolonged risk of illness and raising the question among workers: Who counts as “essential,” and who gets to decide?
The state’s front-line workforce includes 5.7 million people at heightened risk during the pandemic, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. They package food, prune fields, clean offices and assemble cloth face masks, among other jobs.
Some have higher-paid roles in public health and public corrections. All are at risk of contracting the virus because they regularly interact with other people customers and colleagues as they keep services running and pantries stocked.
February 17, 2021
A broad-based coalition of Monterey County farmers, growers, business groups, labor advocates, and hospitality partners calls on the Governor to request 55,000 additional vaccines for the Agricultural community in addition to Monterey County’s regular allocation. The coalition includes Coastal Growers Association, Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, Monterey County Cannabis Industry Association, Monterey County Farm Bureau, Monterey County Hospitality Association, Monterey County Vintners and Growers, Teamsters Local 890, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, United Farm Workers, and United Farm Workers Foundation. The Ag workforce has no option to work at home; they are critical to the nation s food supply. By protecting this workforce, we will reduce the susceptibility to and prevalence of COVID-19 throughout the County, shared Cesar Lara, Executive Director - Monterey Ba
First published on Thu 4 Feb 2021 06.00 EST
California officials have signaled optimism that the latest, most deadly wave of the pandemic is starting to abate as the most populous US state doles out vaccinations. But healthcare workers in Fresno county said their emergency rooms and intensive care departments are still inundated with patients.
âSure, if your hospital goes from 200% capacity to 150%, of course theyâll say itâs looking better,â said Amy Arlund, an ICU nurse at the Kaiser Fresno hospital. âBut in my entire 20-year career, Iâve not seen this many people, this sick.â
Amy Arlund, an ICU nurse at Kaiser medical center in Fresno, California. Photograph: Courtesy Amy Arlund
Please send more vaccines : Covid crisis engulfs California s farming heartland msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
/
Being an agricultural worker “is the most beautiful thing,” Saraí says in an interview in Spanish. She asked to be identified only by her first name because she’s undocumented.
Saraí hasn’t been in the fields lately, though, instead focusing on getting her three kids through virtual schooling. And while she has been spared from the virus, Sarai knows many others who’ve gotten sick. She says the pandemic has made the past year a sad and difficult one for many agricultural workers.
There have been tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases and hundreds of deaths reported among U.S. farmworkers and meat plant workers. Because there isn’t an official tracking system in place, these figures based largely on media reports are likely an undercount.