The city of National City, one of the most affected by the pandemic, received its first 200 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine today, which will be distributed among doctors, nurses and other health workers.
María Ponce de León, a cleaning worker for almost two decades at Paradise Valley Hospital, was the first to receive her to the applause of her colleagues at said health institution.
“I am super excited, I waited for this for more than nine months,” said the woman, who is dedicated to cleaning both the intensive care units and the rooms in which cases of COVID-19 are treated.
Ponce de León raised his hand to receive the vaccine because, although he takes all the necessary measures not to expose his family at home, he wants to feel more reassured that he will not expose his family. “I feel safe, I feel that the vaccine is safe and I would like all of us to lose our fear.”
Paradise Valley Hospital has 1,200 employees; For next week they expect another 125 doses and later, the rest to vaccinate the personnel who request it, explained the director of the hospital, Neerav Jadeja.
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The 91950 zip code for National City is one of the five with the highest COVID-19 activity in San Diego County. As of this Thursday, 3,422 cases have been registered, according to data from the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA).
National City is also one of the cities in the county with a large number of Latino residents.
Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solís highlighted Ponce de León’s courage, both in the workplace and in volunteering for the vaccine.
“She is also a hero, because she was the first person who entered the rooms of people with COVID-19 to clean them, and that is something very impressive and valuable,” he said.
“That’s how we (Latina women) are, we raise our hands and say, it’s something we have to do. I am very proud of her ”.
Visibly moved, she stressed that she considers this a historic moment for the city.
“Our community has value, it wants to be part of the solution, here we are teaching it to people,” he said.
“Even a tear is coming out because I feel proud, it is time for Latino people and our community to feel that they should receive the best of health services, education and resources of anything,” he added. “If we are the most affected, we should be the first.”
Latinos in the county have been disproportionately affected in both San Diego County and the rest of California. Of the more than 116 thousand infections and 1239 deaths, 58 and 48 percent, respectively, correspond to people of Latino descent.
Sotelo-Solís, who is currently participating in a trial of another vaccine, considered that now is the time for families to talk about the issue as it is expected that next year there will be greater access to vaccines for the community.
The county began to receive the first 28 thousand of the 327 thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine that arrived in California. Within the first phase of distribution, there are health personnel, followed by care center employees.
Later, the essential workers would follow, that is, those who work in areas such as education, agriculture and food, police, firefighters, correctional personnel and transportation workers, among others.
After that, the priority will be adults with medical conditions and those over 65.
In the second phase, the vaccine would be available to children and adults under the age of 30, and then workers not included in the first phase. The last phase will be for all US residents, according to County authorities.
“It is important for people to know that there are several stages to receive the vaccine,” Sotelo-Solís stressed. “It is not tomorrow that they are going to receive it but that they start having that conversation.”
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