Contra Costa County Orders First Responders to Be Vaccinated or Take Weekly COVID Tests
MARTINEZ (KPIX) -- Contra Costa County has issued a new vaccine mandate to all its first responders. Starting Sept. 17, they will now have to show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing.
The county says it has experienced a surge in cases and hospitalizations. In the past two weeks, positive cases have jumped 30 percent.
The Contra Costa County Health Officer, Dr. Chris Farnitano, says this is to protect first responders who are at high risk of becoming infected. Some of those emergency workers say the order crosses the line.
"We do support getting vaccinated for all of our members. We provided them with a lot of education on the topic but, at the same time, we have respect for their ability to make their decision," said Vincent Wells with the United Professional Firefighters Local 1230.
Wells represents firefighters from seven different counties, from Santa Clara to Napa. He says the one positive aspect of Contra Costa County's mandate is that it provides the weekly testing alternative.
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has been requiring vaccination or negative test results for weeks. Assistant Chief Bachman says his department has seen roughly half a dozen employees showing symptoms or testing positive in the last week.
"One way we have been able to keep our numbers down is through the testing and encouraging our employees to get the vaccination and those that choose not to get it, making sure that if any symptoms occur we rapidly test them," Bachman said. "If we had to estimate, probably half of our personnel have been vaccinated at this time."
If you include other agencies in Contra Costa County, union president Wells says vaccination rates are higher, about 80 percent.
Many firefighters across the Bay Area argue that, regardless of vaccination status, they have been on the front lines through the worst of this pandemic and getting the shot should be their choice.
"We're not anti vaccine, we're pro vaccine," said San Francisco Fire Dept. Capt. Sherman Tillman, president of the Black Firefighters Association. "We want people to get vaccinated but we are anti mandates. We feel that each person should have the right to make the right decisions for them and their families."
Contra Costa Health says hospitalizations played a major role in issuing this order.
They've increased 400 percent in the past month and more than 80 percent of those patients are unvaccinated.
