At the end of July, Shasta County Health and Human Services acquired 100 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine to be flown out to local firefighters. The decision comes at a time when the Delta variant is causing a spike in coronavirus cases. In some rural counties, including Shasta, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are at an all time high. Many of those rural counties are also seeing record breaking wildfires.
NSPR’s Angel Huracha spoke with Shasta County Health and Human Services Program Manager Kerri Schuette, to learn more about why the county distributed these vaccines and the risks of COVID-19 for firefighters.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
On the recently acquired vaccines
These 100 vaccines were requested by the U.S. Forest Service and we did not have that many on hand. The California Highway Patrol Air Operations unit flew to Fresno to get 100 doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for us to administer to those firefighters. That effort was thanks to the vaccine marketplace that the State offers and that allows public health departments to redistribute unused vaccines to other health departments in California. And those vaccines that we received are open to any fire service or fire camp incident management team in Shasta County.
On Shasta County Health and Human Services partnership with the U.S. Forest Service for vaccine distribution for firefighters
We had a great trip out to the Hat Creek area. And we are engaged with providing vaccines for the Trinity fire camps. But that is still being coordinated. We've also reached out to the fire camp at the fairgrounds here in Shasta County. We continue to be available and engaging in conversations to provide this service. But these folks are super busy and there has not been a huge amount of uptake.
On why it is essential to get the vaccine to firefighters
These firefighters are often in closed spaces, they're resting together, they're in vehicles together. And it's really an opportunity for that virus to spread. If somebody does have COVID we know that our firefighters would rather be out there fighting fires than home and quarantining.
So it's a great way to protect themselves, especially with the one-shot Johnson and Johnson. Our firefighters are doing heroic work around the clock and helping to ensure that they're protected from COVID. It is one less thing that they have to worry about. Really, there are a lot of people close to each other working in hot, difficult conditions. So that added layer of protection really helps keep them safe. And it's our job to help keep them safe while they're working to keep our communities safe.
On whether the recent outbreak of more than a dozen COVID cases in a North State fire camp puts pressure on agencies to distribute vaccines
The Redding Record Searchlight reported on August 20 that there have been 14 positive cases in the Dixie Fire’s west zone fire camp. Two of those infections led to hospitalization. There is currently more than 5,000 personnel staying at that fire camp.
Access to vaccines for firefighters is not a problem. And it has not been a problem. Our first responders had first access to this vaccine when it became available at the start of the year.
Any firefighter who wishes to be vaccinated can get a vaccine or mobile vaccine. Our mobile vaccination team can go out and administer shots to those that want to receive them.
On a recent study showing that wildfire smoke may have contributed to more than 19,000 Covid cases and 700 deaths
A new study at Harvard Chan School of Public Health shows that smoke from last year's unprecedented wildfire season in the western United States may have contributed to more than 19,000 COVID cases and 700 deaths.
The spread of COVID is a huge concern for us in Shasta County and everywhere in the United States. We do have a record-high number of hospitalizations and ICU patients, which has a huge impact on our hospitals. It's a tremendous burden to our health care workers who have been working really hard for the past 18 months to take care of patients, it doesn't just affect COVID patients when our hospitals are full.
It means that people who have other things, you know if they have a heart attack or a car accident or anything of that nature. It's problematic, it makes it more difficult to access care. So yes, we would say that the more people who can get vaccinated, the better it's going to relieve the pressure on these very, very busy healthcare systems.
On COVID-19 hospitalizations in Shasta County
Our hospitalization rate is really high, it is higher than it's ever been throughout this pandemic. We exceeded the former high that was in the winter of last year. And it's been steady for a couple of weeks now. So it is concerning. It's really important for all of us to do what we can to stop the spread of COVID, which includes getting vaccinated and staying home when you're sick.
That is something that we were doing really well at and then it seems like that has slipped a little bit. Maybe it's due to more people who are back in the workplace rather than working from home. We are intermixing more than we were six months ago. And it's leading to a lot more people getting sick. And when more people get sick, more people get hospitalized. And when more people are hospitalized, then it leads to more people dying and this is a disturbing and reversible trend.
On the rate of vaccinated residents and how it’s impacting hospitalizations
In Shasta County, we have 43.7% of our population that is fully vaccinated and 53.3% of our population who have had at least one dose. And those are percentages of eligible people, so that does not include people who are under age 12.
It's impacting hospitalizations in that this has become a virus of the unvaccinated. More than 90% of the people in our hospital right now are unvaccinated. And that is consistent with what we're seeing everywhere. The people who are getting very sick from this virus are people who are unvaccinated almost exclusively.
