Early in the pandemic, San Diego County recognized its COVID-19 relief efforts needed to reach its large Latino population, and set up a task force in June to lay out plans — well ahead of when vaccines became available.
Last month, it opened its first vaccination sites where the target population lives and works: Close to the Mexican border. But the people who showed up for appointments were white, more affluent, and didn’t live there.
“Even by physically locating the centers down south, a lot of those appointment slots are taken up by people that are from the north of the county and more technologically savvy,” says Dr. Christian Ramers, a member of the county’s task force, and an executive at Family Health Centers, which runs a network of 23 primary care clinics serving mostly minority and poor populations.
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