[San Joaquin County] Grand jury report: 'San Joaquin County's COVID-19 response was fragmented'

SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. —

The civil grand jury in San Joaquin County found that the county's response to COVID-19 was fragmented, "hampered and delayed by organizational and policy issues."

"We found that because there was not the optimal amount of collaboration between the public health department and the office emergency services that there were delays," Gary Cooper, the foreperson of the jury said

Cooper said the overall lack of communication led to issues when it came to inoculating the community. He noted that there were instances when there were vaccines to be administered but not enough staffing, and there were also times when there was sufficient staffing, but not enough doses.

He ultimately blamed a lack of communication between the departments.

Cooper also advised that county officials review the organizational chart, encouraging the county to review roles, and who reports to whom. He believes peeling back the layers of bureaucracy would help the department in its handling of the pandemic.

The jury recommended a written policy be put in place, in case another emergency of this magnitude arises again. Cooper said it seemed that everyone had the same goal, but different paths to achieve it.

"The objective of all our elected officials is the safety of the citizens of this county. I really do believe that. And our job is just to shine light into areas we think could be improved," Cooper said.

KCRA Sacramento
By Kay Recede
July 19, 2021