About a dozen zip codes in San Diego County have been flagged by the state for having some of the poorest access to healthy living conditions. To help these neighborhoods the state is reserving 40% of its incoming vaccine supply for these areas.
The San Diego County zip codes the state lists as struggling in its Healthy Places Index include some neighborhoods in the city of San Diego, National City, Oceanside, and in far East Counties like Boulevard and Campo.
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“It’s the 92058 zip code which is actually where I was born and raised and actually live,” said Esther Sanchez, mayor of Oceanside.
The Oceanside community falling under the zip code, 92058, is located just east of Interstate 5 and bordering Camp Pendleton. It’s a neighborhood the mayor of Oceanside knows all too well.
“Really when someone gets sick in one of these communities it has a devastating impact because they are probably more at risk for the worst kind of effects and impacts of COVID, including death,” said Mayor Sanchez.
Mayor Sanchez said she’s onboard for ensuring these zip codes get allocated more COVID-19 vaccines, a concern she’s working on. In Oceanside, there is only one vaccine site, it’s a county pod located at the Live Well Center and they aren’t open every day.
The mayor of Oceanside said the city is working with the county and Tri-City Medical Center to create a vaccination super station in Oceanside, explaining how a major site in city limits would help residents better access the vaccine.
“I’m really hoping to be an advocate for Oceanside and North County to make sure we’re able to get that vaccine,” said Mayor Sanchez.
The equity metric uses what’s called the California Healthy Places Index (HPI) to determine where those vulnerable populations are. The county then has to ensure the testing positivity rate among the lowest quartile population is on track with the rest of the county.
The Chicano Federation told NBC 7 it does not come as a surprise that a zip code in Oceanside came up on the list of concerned areas as its home to a lot of essential workers and groups more at risk to COVID-19.