Early on in the pandemic, Supervisor Simitian strongly advocated for a comprehensive testing plan that included reaching North County and West Valley residents. Anticipating FDA’s emergency use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines, he pushed for an urgency ordinance requiring large healthcare systems operating within Santa Clara County to produce a written plan and timeline to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to their patients. In February 2021, he hosted and moderated a series of community webinars with city leaders and healthcare providers to help community members understand their options and ask questions.
Support for COVID-19 resources and planning continues into 2022 with vaccination pop-up events for youth ages 5 and up and adults who are still receiving first doses and boosters. Additionally, Simitian pushed for additional access to testing COVID-19 at-home testing.
