Wine Country Times

As Mendocino County continues to receive shipments of COVID-19 vaccinations, its distribution plan continues to grow. 

With its recent shipments of both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the county has established at least six vaccination clinics for patients to receive the doses. 

“We received 1,400 first doses and 400 second doses of the Moderna vaccine. Additionally, we received 300 first doses and 675 second doses of Pfizer vaccine. With that, we will be able to provide our first series of second vaccines and schedule six vaccination events," Manager of the Dept. Operations Center Bekkie Emery said.

Vaccines will likely not be available for the general public until late spring or into summer, but vaccination efforts continue to grow each week to provide as many doses as possible.  

Co-manager of Mendocino County’s vaccine clinics Adrienne Thompson also spoke to the county’s expanded efforts for educational professionals and neighboring communities.

“We are also assisting the City of Ukiah with a special clinic that will vaccinate a minimum of 250 teachers. We’ve been having additional vaccine in the vials, so to prepare for that, we also have people on a waiting list," she said. 

Thompson also estimates that approximately 1,600 to 1,800 people will be vaccinated weekly in the coming weeks. 

Part of the complexity around this distribution effort is deciding who is eligible to receive the earliest vaccines. For this reason, the Mendocino Ethics COVID Ad Hoc Committee (MECA) was established. Public Health Officer Dr. Andrew Coren summarized the role of MECA as “[a committee] to advise our Department Operations Center and health officers on ethical matters involving distribution of COVID vaccines, in alignment with guidelines from the FDA, the California Department of Public Health, and our county’s ethics order.” 

MECA also serves to adjust the categorization of particular demographics in response to outbreaks and potential risks. For example, local criminal justice and jail workers were placed in a higher tier as a result of a COVID outbreak in the jail.  

“Based on the amount and timeliness of our vaccine allotments, we believe we’ll be able to vaccinate everyone who chooses to be vaccinated within the next nine months," Coren said.