Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement on the Continuation of Vaccine Distribution Services at the Oakland Coliseum
OAKLAND, CA –– Congresswoman Barbara Lee issued the following statement on Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement that the state, in partnership with Alameda and Contra Costa counties, will extend vaccine distribution operations at the Oakland Coliseum and mobile vaccine sites for an additional four weeks. FEMA and Cal OES have operated the site as a pilot for eight weeks, however FEMA is scheduled to leave on April 11.
“Thank you to Governor Gavin Newsom and Alameda and Contra Costa counties for stepping up to continue vaccine distribution at the Oakland Coliseum for four more weeks.
“In my district and nationwide, we have all seen the heartbreaking disparities in public health that the pandemic has exacerbated.
“The Coliseum site and the mobile units in our hardest hit neighborhoods have successfully increased trust and distributed the vaccines to large numbers of people. Now is the time to build on that momentum and refocus on achieving vaccine equity.
“According to state statistics on the Oakland vaccination site, white residents, who are 29% of the population of Oakland, have received 40.92% of the vaccines. Meanwhile, Black residents are 22% of the population but have received only 3.93% of the vaccines. Latino/Latina residents are 26.5% of the population but have received only 19.73% of vaccines administered at the Oakland site.
“It is critical to continue operations at the Coliseum to help address these disparities. This is a matter of life and death for medically underserved communities in my district. Thank you to FEMA and the Biden-Harris Administration for providing this service for East Bay residents, and I greatly appreciate the state and counties for continuing this important work as the state opens up vaccine eligibility to all Californians.
“Vaccine appointments will continue to be made through visiting the state’s MyTurn.ca.gov website or by calling 833-422-4255. Members of the public may check their eligibility for vaccination, sign up for notifications and schedule appointments in select areas through the site.”
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