Written by Miguel Palacios
With the Biden Administration’s proposed $1.9 Trillion “American Rescue Plan,” San Diego County stands to receive approximately $652 Million, according to the executive finance director with the Health and Human Services Agency, Andy Pease. The plan has passed in the Democrat Controlled House, but is likely to meet resistance in the Senate, where Republicans point out that it filled with non-pandemic related, liberal “poison pills.”
According to KUSI News, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to direct the chief administrative officer, Helen Robbins-Meyer, to present guidance on how the county should utilize the funds received from future federal or state economic relief plans to best help the people most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Robbins-Meyer will also be tasked with developing a review for accountability purposes to show how the individuals who received aid from the relief plan funds were assisted.
San Diego County remains in the most restrictive purple tier of Gov. Newsom’s coronavirus reopening system, however, Covid-19 rates have dropped, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s Public Health Officer, who addressed the county supervisors at the meeting. She stated that since the last stay-at-home orders were lifted, the numbers have proven to be encouraging. The number of infections has declined and the number of vaccinations distributed is rising.
Unfortunately, due to vaccine shortages, San Diego’s Petco Park covid-19 superstation has had to remain closed.
The board of supervisors also heard from Nick Macchione, Health and Human Services (HHSA) director, who declared that the county has conducted nearly 4 million tests, focusing on those residents who were deemed most vulnerable. He also discussed vaccinations with the board and highlighted that there are 130 pharmacies in the region of San Diego that are currently offering vaccinations to those who are eligible to receive them. Macchione added that there are 12 county-hosted vaccination sites, six superstations like that at Petco Park, five hospital-county partnership sites, and vaccination teams to assist in ensuring the vaccination of San Diego County residents.
Photo via County of San Diego
