As Santa Clara County expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is looking for help in getting the word out in underserved communities.
"We need volunteers," Liccardo said. "We particularly need volunteers who speak Spanish and other languages who can help us in outreach."
People can sign up to volunteer at siliconvalleystrong.org or by calling 211.
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According to county data, about 144,000 county residents 65 and older have gotten their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Only 8% are Latinos and Latinas, even though more than half of COVID-19 infections in the county are within the Latino community and 28% of deaths are Latino people.
In the month since the walk-up vaccine clinic at Mexican Heritage Plaza opened, about 2,700 people got their first doses. The site is still offering vaccines on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. People can get wristbands starting at 9:30 a.m. for a shot later in the day.
The push is on to get people 65 and up in now before eligibility is expanded again.
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"We want to make every effort to get the folks 65-plus to get vaccinated as quickly as possible, hopefully before the end of the month, because we hear that there may be some changes coming up after the end of the month," Reymundo Espinoza with Gardner Health Services said.
