Sacramento lags behind state, region in vaccinating young people against COVID-19
When Fazroon Nazim received her COVID-19 vaccine, her 14-year-old son asked if she could take him to a clinic to receive his dose as well.
“I took some time, I did not rush my son,” Nazim said. “I understand some parents are hesitant because they are kids. But my son did not question it, he kept asking me, ‘When are you going to take me?’”
Nazim’s son is among the 35% of children ages 12 to 17 in Sacramento County who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. That’s below the statewide average of 40% and is the lowest percentage in the Sacramento region.
Sacramento County has consistently lagged behind neighboring counties and California in vaccinations as a whole. Sacramento’s comparatively poor numbers don’t appear to be simply a matter of undercounted reporting, which local health officers across the state had previously cited as a major issue. Sacramento’s rates have trailed the state and neighboring counties such as Placer and Yolo counties since the rollout began.
As districts prepare to return to full-time in-person instruction for the 2021-22 academic year, school officials say it is vital that as many students as possible receive the vaccine. The CDPH is encouraging families to begin the vaccination process for students ages 12 and older so they are fully vaccinated when they return to school campuses.
“The best way for our students to learn is full-time, in-person,” read a statement from Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jorge Aguilar. “We are committed to a full time return in the fall, and we know that in order for us to continue to see COVID-19 rates drop and to get back to normal, our community must have the highest levels of protections. We have put in place strong mitigation measures, but we know that the best protection against COVID-19 is to get vaccinated when eligible. The more students receive the vaccine, the fewer cases we will see, and the more students we will have learning on our campuses. It’s as simple as that.”
The Sacramento City Unified School District has partnered with local health care agencies, including Dignity Health, and community partners to offer vaccinations at multiple school sites to staff, students and community members. School districts throughout the region have also set up vaccination clinics to inoculate staff, community members and eligible students.
Other counties in the region are seeing higher rates of vaccinations among young people.
Yolo County has vaccinated the highest percentage of its teens, with about 45% of 12- to 17-year-old children having received at least one dose. About 39% of that population in Placer County and 37% in El Dorado County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Local officials attribute some of the recent data to lack of transportation, vaccine hesitancy and misconceptions about the vaccine.
Yady King of Folsom chose to include her 15-year-old son in the Novavax vaccine trial. He is one of only a handful of teens in Sacramento County participating.
“I believe in the science, and I want to do my part to reach herd immunity,” King said. “My child needs to be protected and he too needs to contribute to the communal health. It’s our civic duty.”
More trials are underway. Dozens of children ages 5 through 11 are undergoing Kaiser Pfizer-BioNtTech trials in Sacramento, along with other cities.
Pfizer has said it plans to enroll about 4,500 children under 12 years old at dozens of sites across the U.S., Finland, Poland and Spain.
Children 5 through 11 make up roughly 140,000 of Sacramento County’s nearly 1.6 million residents, according to census data, with about another 100,000 under the age of 4. Trials for children 6 months old through 4 years old are up next, Pfizer says.
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.