COVID-19 vaccination events this weekend target vulnerable communities

Seeking to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines among hardest-hit populations, Palo Alto’s University AME Zion Church and other organizations are sponsoring events to reach those communities this weekend.

The Palo Alto event at AME Zion takes place Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The walk-up site offers free vaccines and no identification is required, the Rev. Kaloma Smith said.

The church has partnered with Santa Clara County and San Jose-based Roots Community Health. The site will offer the Moderna vaccine and is open to anyone ages 18 and older.

“We are particularly focused on getting vaccinations for Black and brown people in the area. We have worked with the county to address some of the issues that people have faced getting vaccines,” Smith said in an email.

Latino and Black residents lag behind Asian and white residents in the county in receiving vaccines, despite targeted efforts by county officials and door-to-door outreach in census tracts where people are the most vulnerable, county health officials told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Among Latinos, 29.6% of residents ages 16 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine compared to 42.2% of African Americans, 50.1% of whites and 68.4% of Asians, according to county data.

Most outreach and targeted vaccine clinics in these communities have been done in the southern end of the county. The county has also worked to administer doses at mass-vaccination sites, including one in Mountain View since mid-January.

The AME Zion vaccine clinic will take place at 3549 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto.

Additional vaccine events will also take place in Palo Alto and in southern San Mateo County, in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City:

Palo Alto:

• Fridays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at LifeMoves’ Opportunity Center, 33 Encina Ave. Walk-up site for Santa Clara County residents ages 18 and older. ID is required.

East Palo Alto:

• Sunday, April 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Ravenswood/Cesar Chavez Middle School, 2450 Ralmar Ave. Second doses only (Pfizer), if first dose was received on April 1, 2 or 3 for those ages 18 and older. ID required.

Menlo Park:

• Saturday, April 24, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at Facebook building 28, 164 Jefferson Drive, Menlo Park. First doses for people ages 18 and older. Recipients must live or work in East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks or Menlo Park’s Belle Haven/District 1 neighborhoods. ID required. People are asked to arrive in order of the first letter of their last name: A-C: 8-9 a.m.; D-H: 9-10:30 a.m.; J-l: 10:30-noon; M-P: 12:30-2 p.m.; Q-U: 2-3 p.m.; V-Z: 3-4 p.m.

Redwood City:

• Saturday and Sunday, April 23-24, 11-11:30 a.m. and 3-3:30 p.m. at Stanford University’s Redwood City campus, 505 Broadway. Walk-up site for East Palo Alto and Menlo Park-Belle Haven residents ages 18 and older. ID required.

• Saturday, April 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at KIPP Excelencia Community Prep, 2950 Fair Oaks Ave. Drive-thru event, but walk-ups are OK. Must be a resident of East Palo Alto, North Fair Oaks, Menlo Park’s Belle Haven/District 1 neighborhoods and at least 16 years old. ID required.

• Sunday, April 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Fair Oaks Clinic, 2710 Middlefield Road. Offering 700 first doses of Moderna vaccine for North Fair Oaks residents only. Drive-up clinic, but walk-ups OK. ID required.

In addition, a vaccine registration assistance event was scheduled on April 21 and 22 for residents at the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto where there are many Latino residents. The assistance will take place during a food distribution event, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the county’s COVID-19 testing and vaccine officer, said on Tuesday.

Find comprehensive coverage on the Midpeninsula’s response to the new coronavirus by Palo Alto Online, the Mountain View Voice and the Almanac here.