Fresno city employees nearly 70% vaccinated against COVID. Which departments are lagging?
At least 67% of city of Fresno employees confirmed they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of this week, and city administrators estimate that number will reach 70% — considered herd immunity — by early December.
Of the city’s 3,962 employees, more than 2,600 are vaccinated. A little more than 1,300 remain unvaccinated.
Assistant City Manager Gregory Barfield estimated that by Dec. 6, 70% of employees will report being fully vaccinated.
“I think we’ve done a lot, and I continue to see notes where people are getting vaccinated,” Barfield said.
A few of the city’s smaller departments, such as economic development and retirement, were 100% vaccinated as of Nov. 17. Other city departments, including the city council offices, information services and airport employees, reported more than 90% of employees vaccinated.
But some of the city’s larger departments with hundreds of employees, including public works, transportation and police, reported the lowest numbers of fully vaccinated employees. Those departments reported 59%, 63% and 64% vaccinated, respectively.
Barfield said those numbers might actually be higher, though, since city officials faced some challenges confirming which employees are vaccinated.
For months, employees had to physically present their vaccination card for verification. This posed a challenge for larger departments such as transportation, which operates 24/7. Other departments, such as Parks, After School, Recreation and Community Services (PARCS), have many part-time employees who might only work four hours a week. Getting those employees to confirm their vaccination status remains tricky, Barfield said.
In recent weeks, the federal government released new guidelines and employees could verify their vaccination status virtually in a Zoom session, Barfield said.
Offices for elected officials, including the mayor’s office and city council offices, also have a higher vaccination rate. City Councilmembers and their staffers are 92% vaccinated. Only three people in those offices have not verified they’re vaccinated. More than 80% of staff in the mayor and city manager offices are vaccinated.
“The city council, from the beginning of this pandemic, has led the way in being proactive in the areas of drive-thru testing, vaccination outreach efforts and COVID mitigation initiatives,” said Council President Luis Chavez. “The city council offices’ vaccination rate reflects the desire to be part of the solution and overcome this pandemic as soon as possible. This pandemic has morphed into a pandemic of the unvaccinated. We hope to lead by example and have ensured our actions speak louder than words.”
One employee, Dee Barnes who works in accounting for the police department, hopes the city will mandate employees get vaccinated. She also said she believes taxpayers should not foot the bill for COVID-19 testing for employees who refuse to get vaccinated.
“I believe that as government agencies, we serve the public and we should be an example,” she said. “This is way past the point of politics. This is about public health.”
The city in early December will launch vaccine clinics in partnership with UCSF Fresno for its employees, Barfield said. When vaccines first were released, medics with the fire department were trained in administering the shots and vaccinated many of their own coworkers. City leaders are looking into whether that can be a model for city employees, he said.
Employees who have not confirmed they’re vaccinated must continue to undergo weekly COVID-19 tests, and all employees must wear masks inside City Hall regardless of vaccination status.
The city also is requiring new hires to be vaccinated.
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 2:52 PM.