FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2021
Site will have the capacity to vaccinate 1,000 to 2,000 residents per day, advancing the County’s efforts to increase vaccine access in the most impacted areas of the county
Santa Clara County, CA County of Santa Clara and Gilroy Unified School District officials announced the launch of a new large-scale vaccination site at Gilroy High School, located at 750 W. 10th Street in Gilroy. The site is part of the County’s ongoing, expansive effort to ensure robust access to vaccine in the areas of the county with the highest rates of COVID-19. Gilroy is one of the most impacted communities in Santa Clara County, with more than 1 in 10 residents having contracted COVID-19.
“Our County’s significant progress bringing vaccination sites into communities hardest hit by the pandemic continues with today’s launch of a large capacity site at Gilroy High School,” said Mike Wasserman, President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. “We are grateful for the partnership with Gilroy Unified, and the location will provide increased capacity and access to vaccine for our South County community.”
“Gilroy Unified is pleased that our campus will serve an important role in achieving equity in vaccine distribution throughout the community,” said Dr. Deborah Flores, Superintendent of the Gilroy Unified School District. “Our school community has shown their willingness to contribute to these efforts and vaccinate the community as quickly and equitably as possible.”
The site will offer approximately 1,000 vaccinations per day, and if vaccine supplies allow, will increase to approximately 2,000 vaccinations per day. Appointments can be made through the County’s website at sccfreevax.org or by calling 211 if individuals need help scheduling.
The Gilroy High School site is part of the County’s rapid expansion of vaccination capacity as appointments open up to frontline workers from the State’s Phase 1B beginning February 28th, including workers in childcare and education, emergency services, and food and agriculture. Fixed site, accessible locations with a large capacity are one of many strategies the County is employing to reach communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Other strategies include small, pop-up vaccination sites that are mobile and can reach specific populations or workplaces, extensive community outreach in multiple languages, and assistance with scheduling vaccine appointments and providing information about vaccines to communities most at risk.
Public health officials strongly advise everyone to continue to take steps to limit the spread of the virus and reduce strain on our health care systems. These actions include staying home as much as possible, wearing a mask when leaving home, limiting interactions with those outside your immediate household, keeping a physical distance of at least six feet apart, avoiding non-essential travel, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine when you are eligible.
Visit the County’s COVID-19 vaccine website, sccfreevax.org, for the latest updates on vaccine eligibility and distribution.
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