After successfully administering 1.9 million vaccinations since 2020 and becoming the most vaccinated large county in the country in the months following the initial release of COVID-19 vaccines, the County of Santa Clara will demobilize its remaining COVID-19 mass vaccination and mass testing sites by Feb. 28.
The sunsetting of these operations takes place due to the upcoming end of the federal and state emergency declarations related to COVID-19, and healthcare providers and pharmacies throughout the County having the ability to provide residents with access to testing and vaccinations. Through Feb. 28, COVID-19 vaccination appointments at the County can be made at www.sccfreevax.org.
Since COVID-19 vaccinations were first authorized in December 2020, the County’s mass vaccination program has provided more than 1.3 million vaccinations to community members. Combined with vaccinations delivered through the County’s health clinics, the County’s Mobile Vaccination program, the Valley Homeless Healthcare Program, Employee Health, and other County-operated programs, the County has provided about 1.9 million COVID-19 vaccinations. This total represents 33% of all vaccinations given in Santa Clara County during the pandemic.
“We are grateful to County residents, who immediately recognized the importance of getting vaccinated to protect both themselves and each other,” said Susan Ellenberg, President of the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “In our County, more than 90 percent of the eligible public has received at least one vaccine, a staggering number given our size.”
The County of Santa Clara has been a vaccination leader throughout the pandemic, at one point standing up the state’s largest vaccination location at Levi’s Stadium, which at times provided more than 14,000 vaccinations a day. The County’s extensive efforts played a significant role in preventing countless hospitalizations and deaths.
“As we wind down our mass vaccination effort, I want to thank everyone in the County who served as Disaster Service Workers, doing everything from directing traffic in parking lots to staffing mobile vaccination clinics,” said Dr. Jeff Smith, County Executive for the County of Santa Clara. “We could not have kept our cases as low as we did without the incredibly hard work of our employees, volunteers, and community partners.”
Closure dates for the three remaining mass vaccination and testing locations are:
- Santa Clara County Fairgrounds – Testing February 24; vaccinations February 25
- San Martin – February 25
- Mountain View – February 28 (testing already closed)
The County is also demobilizing most of its COVID-19 testing sites due to the widespread availability of rapid antigen tests. Since May 2020, the County Health System’s mass COVID-19 testing program has provided more than 1.6 million PCR tests to the community.
“This endeavor would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of many County staff, including those from Valley Medical Center,” said Dr. Jennifer Tong, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, who led the County’s mass testing and mass vaccination efforts. “I am incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in keeping our community members safe: our incredible County staff, the traveling nurses, our partner city locations, and our colleagues in the public health department.”
The County will continue to provide vaccination, testing, and medical services to more than 225,000 patients routinely cared for through the County’s health system and provide safety net services to all those in need, regardless of payor or documentation status. The County will also remain a COVID-19 resource for all County residents through Valley Connections, available at 1-888-334-1000.
“COVID will be with us for a long time, and we are committed to protecting all County residents, especially those living in our most vulnerable communities,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer and Director of Public Health. “I urge everyone to keep using all the layers of protection available to us – vaccines, testing, masking, and ventilation – to keep each other safe as we enter our fourth year of this pandemic.”
