In a remarkable display of unity, teachers’ unions from eight of the county’s 10 public school districts joined forces in a letter to county Health Officer Gail Newel on Friday, asking her to reconsider her stance on letting at least some teachers get the COVID-19 vaccine now.
COVID South County
Posted inHealth & Wellness
As farmworker vaccinations begin, South County continues to grapple with pandemic’s negative impacts
Santa Cruz County’s first clinic to vaccinate farmworkers is opening in Watsonville on Wednesday, but it’s only one step toward addressing the long-term economic and mental health impacts of COVID-19 among South County’s largely Latinx population.
Posted inVaccine Watch
Strong turnout for Santa Cruz County’s first farmworker vaccination clinic gives officials hope
Dignity Health Dominican Hospital, the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency and the California Strawberry Commission teamed up for the first vaccination of local agricultural workers Wednesday at Casserly Grange Hall in Watsonville.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville nurses take to streets again, ask hospital to rescind staffing-ratio waiver
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from Pacific Avenue in order to have…
Posted inVaccine Watch
Amid misinformation and ‘mistrust,’ Santa Cruz County leaders chart course to get vaccine to farmworkers
During peak season, Santa Cruz County is expected to be home to some 9,000 farmworkers who could soon be in line for the coronavirus vaccine. But county officials, growers and advocates worry about the hurdles standing between workers and the shots.
Posted inPandemic Life
COVID-19, A Love Story: One couple fought the pandemic together — until ‘Pop’ lost the battle
Gene and Doris Johnson were doing well in assisted living before the coronavirus changed everything about how the 94-year-old couple could connect to their loved ones. At least they still had each other — until Gene, a well-known teacher and coach, died last week.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Las inequidades por covid: ¿Por qué se ha visto afectado el sur del condado tan desproporcionadamente?
¿Quiénes fueron Miri Villalobos y Santiago Tehandon? Dos integrantes de una comunidad de Watsonville que ha padecido el 45% de fallecimientos por covid-19 en el condado de Santa Cruz a pesar de representar solo el 18% de la población.
Posted inVaccine Watch
How will the self-employed get vaccinated? There’s no clear answer
Santa Cruz County Health Officer Gail Newel and other experts headline Lookout’s free community conversation about…
Posted inHealth & Wellness
The inequities of COVID: Why has South County been impacted so disproportionately?
Who were Miri Villalobos and Santiago Tehandon? Two members of a Watsonville community that has absorbed 45% of Santa Cruz County’s COVID-19 death toll despite accounting for just 18% of its population.
Posted inPandemic Life
Santiago Tehandon, 80, retired Watsonville maintenance technician, food bank volunteer dies of COVID-19
In March 2020, Tehandon was named “Hunger Fighter of the Year” by the U.S. House of Representatives, and was honored by the city of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in response. He died of COVID-19 related complications on Christmas Day.