As California moves forward with their plans to vaccinate everyone 16 and older, the state’s next step is to provide vaccines to arguably the most at-risk population: the homeless. 

In an article by Sonoma County’s news talk radio (KRSO), it is explained that the goal is to administer well over 100 vaccinations a week to the homeless community.  Last week the vaccination programs provided over 150 vaccines and look to administer much more as the weeks progress.  The goal is to start with the homeless in shelters, then move towards those that live in their cars or outside.  The article described that a one day count last year tallied over 2,500 homeless people in Sonoma county, only 38% of which are able to stay in shelters.  The county has plans to expand the vaccination program with local medical and health services around the area.  

With the organizations focusing on the shelters first it gives them a way to centralize the vaccination program.  In an article by the Press Democrat, Dr. Loie Sauer, a Santa Rosa surgeon, said, “The first and logical place to start was with the sheltered population because they live in congregant settings (where the virus can spread) and we know where they are.”

Sauer, like many others in the business, has been dedicating her time in helping combat COVID-19 especially with dealing with the homeless population.

Johnson and Johnson, one of the top companies who came out with a COVID-19 vaccine, has been key for the homeless population. This specific vaccine, unlike others, requires only one dose to provide full immunity, making it easier to get the homeless vaccinated faster.  

In an article with CBS Sacramento, Sacramento Fire Chief Gary Loesch described some of the difficulties working with the homeless. He said, “It seems to be a challenge to get to the homeless community and make them aware that this is a good thing and that we really are here to strictly vaccinate them and nothing more.  Once Johnson and Johnson came on the scene, it helped because we don’t have to track them as much.”

Putting the homeless community at the front of the line for the COVID-19 vaccines has not come without criticism.  Those in opposition of this decision believe the average person should receive the vaccine first, as they are the ones participating in the work force and attending schools. California officials also understand that the homeless population is massive, and such a goal is quite the undertaking.  Because of this, the organizations working to get all the homeless vaccinated need all the help and support from communities across the county they can get their hands on.

Rachel Vasquez, a sophomore at Sonoma State who is pursuing a nursing degree, has been working in her community helping distribute the vaccines. When asked to comment on the topic of vaccinating the homeless, she said, “I actually believe it’s a great idea to give the vaccine out to the homeless because most of them can’t provide for themselves and by doing this we will extremely slow down the spread because there are so many of them.”