Dozens of essential farmworkers received the COVID-19 vaccine in West Fresno on Monday, January 25.
When it was first announced that a coronavirus vaccine would be making its way to the public, many Central Valley activists emphasized the need for field workers to be put high up on the nation's priority list.
Having to work in close proximity to each other and then going home often to multi-generational households makes them one of the most vulnerable populations during the pandemic.
"Vaccinating our essential farm workers will ensure the safety of their workplaces, their homes, their families, our food supply, and the vital services that they perform," said Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco.
According to ABC30, Fresno County has set aside enough doses to get as many as 3,000 agriculture workers vaccinated this week.
However, officials are saying that's not nearly enough when the county currently has between 70,000 to 90,000 people working in the fields.
"We simply do not have enough vaccine, and I can't emphasize that enough. Get us more vaccines so we can protect our community," said Pacheco.
Fresno County only received 8,000 doses in its latest shipment but has the capacity to administer 50,000 shots a week.
"We're relying heavily on our elected state representatives to get to the governor and increase our allocation here in the Valley," said Pacheco. "It seems like we're always second best and we need our representatives to come forward and get us our fair share."
The county will continue vaccinating as many farmworkers as possible this week. They are also planning on getting processing plant and meatpacking plant workers vaccinated as well.
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