East Bay mayors announce vaccine mandate for city workers, urge other Bay Area cities to follow
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Mayors of two cities in Contra Costa County have teamed up to call on other Bay Area leaders to implement vaccine mandates in their respective jurisdictions.
RELATED: US to recommend COVID vaccine booster shots for all Americans at 8 months: Sources
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe and Walnut Creek Mayor Kevin Wilk held a joint press conference Tuesday to formally urge all Bay Area mayors to require vaccinations for city employees.
"There are serious numbers we're looking at now throughout the county. Since the start of the pandemic, 98% of COVID deaths are due to people being unvaccinated. 1.7% of the deaths in Contra Costa County are people that have been vaccinated," said Wilk.
He said these numbers can not be ignored.
The mayor said residents between the ages of 19 and 30 are the no. 1 infected group in the city at this time.
WATCH: Antioch, Walnut Creek mayors announce vaccine mandate, call on other cities to follow
Residents ages 31 to 40 and children ages 5 to 12 are the second and third most infected groups in Walnut Creek, respectively, Wilk said.
As of Monday, all city employees, volunteers and contractors in Walnut Creek must be vaccinated.
Since the announcement last week, the city has seen a 5% uptick in vaccinations among employees, according to the mayor.
RELATED: How much of California is vaccinated against COVID-19? See percentages in every county
The city of Antioch is following suit with a similar mandate that requires vaccinations for city employees or weekly COVID-19 testing.
Mayor Thorpe said Antioch is the "epicenter" in Contra Costa County as far as COVID-19.
"We can do better," he said.
In addition to Antioch and Walnut Creek, other cities that already have vaccine mandates include Berkeley, San Francisco and San Jose.
The mayors of Antioch and Walnut Creek are now encouraging other Bay Area cities without vaccine requirements for government workers to follow their lead with a similar mandate.
VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine
Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
- Map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in the Bay Area
- Mask mandates are back in Bay Area, so what's the safest one to wear? Here's what doctor says
- What we know about the delta variant of COVID-19 following new CDC report
- Lambda and delta plus: What to know about other COVID variants detected in US
- Should vaccinated people get tested if exposed to COVID-19? CDC explains
- Can a breakthrough infection still lead to long haul COVID-19? San Francisco doctor explains
- CA COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: See your status here
- These CA counties are way ahead in vaccinations
- Data tracker: Coronavirus cases, deaths, hospitalizations in every Bay Area county
- Get the latest updates on California EDD, stimulus checks, unemployment benefits
- Coronavirus origin: Where did COVID-19 come from?
- What is a COVID-19 genetic, antigen and antibody test?
- What does COVID-19 do to your body and why does it spread so easily?
- Coronavirus Timeline: Tracking major moments of COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco Bay Area
