Hundreds Protest Digital Vaccine Cards At Orange County Board Of Supervisors Meeting
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) - Hundreds of people protested during the Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday evening as members discussed the possible use of electronic vaccination records.
The so-called 'vaccine passports' are digital technologies that provide proof that a person has received the coronavirus vaccination.
Many that showed up at the Santa Ana meeting said it was an overstep by the government.
"We are not forcing anyone to get a vaccine passport, we are not going condition government services on vaccine status," said Supervisor Don Wagner. "We are not having our children get vaccinated. That's even illegal right now under the current vaccine approvals."
County leaders said the records would only be given to people who request them, and will not be mandatory to access county services or buildings.
But opponents are worried it's the first step to banning people who do not want vaccinations from airplanes, stadiums, concert halls, and businesses.
The meeting comes as Orange County officials Wednesday were ramping up for Thursday's first day of full access to COVID-19 vaccines for anyone aged 16 and older.
For now, county officials will not have to boost staffing at its vaccination sites, Orange County CEO Frank Kim said.
"We don't have to go too much higher because our dose allocation doesn't change and we're still scheduling the same 15,000 or so a day," Kim said. "So, I don't think from a staffing level it's any more significant."
But when there is a significant increase in vaccine allocations, there will be a boost in staffing, Kim said.
So far, the county has dispensed nearly 2 million doses of vaccine, Kim said.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
