Including Antioch Kaiser workers; to continue Friday with different unions

Engineers on strike for 62 days, so far

By Renée Saldaña, Press Secretary, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West

Thousands of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) members have been joined by OPEIU Local 29, IFPTE Local 20 in a sympathy strike to demand that Kaiser stop its economic bullying and agree to a fair contract with the Local 39 Operating Engineers. Workers walked off the job and onto the strike line at 7 a.m., today, Thursday, November 18 until 7:00 a.m. Friday, Nov. 19 at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Antioch and at various facilities across Northern California.

More than 40,000 workers from SEIU-UHW, OPEIU Local 29, and IFPTE Local 20 were prepared to walk out in support of the Local 39 engineers, making it the largest sympathy strike in the country.

“They’ve been out here all this time without a fair contract” said lifelong Antioch resident Kim Weiss, AMC Rep Chair for SEIU at Kaiser Antioch about the engineers. She works with cardiac and diabetes patients at the medical center. “We’re sympathy striking in solidarity. A total of 620 SEIU workers have been on strike at Antioch Kaiser, today.”

Healthcare workers wearing their uniforms planned to walk out onto the strike line, march, give speeches, distribute leaflets to passersby, hold signs and blow whistles in support of Kaiser engineers from Local 39.

“We are sympathy striking because Kaiser has lost its way and is putting its drive for profits over people, hurting our patients and union co-workers. The Local 39 engineers play a critical role in maintaining our facilities and the equipment we use to take care of patients,” said Ethan Ruskin, a health educator at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Jose. “Kaiser needs to put patients first and deliver a fair contract to the engineers.”

Earlier this week, healthcare workers representing SEIU-UHW’s 36,000 Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California voted by a 97% margin to authorize a one-day sympathy strike in solidarity with Kaiser engineers from Local 39 who have been on strike for two months.

Jobs affected by the sympathy strike vote include optometrists, clinical laboratory scientists, respiratory and x-ray technicians, licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, surgical technicians, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, medical assistants, and housekeepers, among other positions.

Engineers on Strike for 62 Days So Far

According to those on strike in Antioch, 800 engineers in Northern California including 13 stationary engineers and six or seven clinical engineers at the Antioch Kaiser have been on strike for 62 days, as of Thursday.

They fix all the piping and all the medical equipment, from the life support systems to anything else mechanical.

Asked about the large blow-up rat on display at the Antioch Kaiser strike, one of the union members said it referred to the Kaiser management and the “scab” workers doing their jobs while they’re on strike.

“They’ve brought in guys from out of state who have no training and paying them three times what they pay us,” said one of the strikers.

“Think of the risk at which they’re placing the patients with the equipment that’s not being maintained for over two months,” said Mark Morucci, Chief Engineer at Kaiser Antioch.

Sympathy strikes are taking place at the following locations starting at 7 a.m. on November 18:

• ANTIOCH: Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center, 4501 Sand Creek Rd, Antioch CA 94531
• WALNUT CREEK: Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek Medical Center, 1425 S Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
• FREMONT: Kaiser Permanente Fremont Medical Center, 39400 Paseo Padre Pkwy, Fremont, CA 94538
• FRESNO: Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center, 7300 N Fresno St, Fresno, CA 93720
• MANTECA: Kaiser Permanente Manteca Medical Center, 1777 W. Yosemite Avenue, Manteca, 95337
• MODESTO: Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center, 4601 Dale Road, Modesto, CA 95356
• OAKLAND: Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, 3600 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611
• REDWOOD CITY: Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center, 1150 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063
• RICHMOND: Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center, 901 Nevin Ave., Richmond, CA 94801
• ROSEVILLE: Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center, 1600 Eureka Rd, Roseville, CA 95661
• SACRAMENTO: Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center, 2025 Morse Ave, Sacramento, 95825
• SOUTH SACRAMENTO: Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center, 6600 Bruceville Road, Sacramento, CA 95823
• SAN FRANCISCO: Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, 2425 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA
• SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO: Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center, 1200 El Camino Real, S. San Francisco, CA 94080
• SAN JOSE: Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, 250 Hospital Parkway, San Jose, CA 95119
• SAN LEANDRO: Kaiser Permanente San Leandro Medical Center, 2500 Merced St, San Leandro, CA 94577
• SANTA CLARA: Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, 710 Lawrence Expressway, Santa Clara CA 95051
• SANTA ROSA: Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center, 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa, 95403
• STOCKTON: Kaiser Permanente Stockton Medical Center, 7373 West Lane, Stockton CA 95210
• VACAVILLE: Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center, 1 Quality Dr, Vacaville, CA 95688
• VALLEJO: Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, 975 Sereno Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589

Another sympathy strike will take place on Friday by the NUHW and the California Nurses Association.

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors is seeking applicants who are interested in serving on its 20-member Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC). The JJCC currently has the following five (5) vacancies:

• At-Large Representative (3)
• Community Based Organization Representative (2)

The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council is a multiagency advisory body that informs the development and implementation of a countywide juvenile justice plan composed of several critical parts, including, but not limited to an assessment of existing law enforcement, probation, education, mental health, health, social services, drug and alcohol and youth services resources, which specifically target both at-promise as well as system-involved youth, and their families.

The JJCC will also coordinate on a countywide basis the work of those governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in activities designed to reduce the incidence of juvenile crime and delinquency in the greater community, develop information and intelligence-sharing systems to ensure that county actions are fully coordinated, and provide data and appropriate outcome measures.

The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council is composed of the following 20 members:

Ten (10) Ex‐Officio Members: 

• Chief Probation Officer, as Chair
• District Attorney’s Office representative
• Public Defender’s Office representative
• Sheriff’s Office representative
• Board of Supervisors’ representative
• Employment and Human Services Department representative
• Behavioral Health Services representative
• Alcohol and Other Drugs Division representative
• Public Health representative
• Juvenile Justice Commission Chair

Ten (10) Additional Members, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, as follows: 

• City Police Department representative
• County Office of Education or a School District representative
• Four (4) At-Large members, residing or working within County of Contra Costa
• Two (2) Community-Based Organization representatives
• Two (2) At-Large youth, fourteen to twenty-five years old and residing or working within County of Contra Costa

Appointments to the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council will be for a term of two years. The JJCC meets monthly October through April, and bi-monthly the remainder of the year. Members have the option to serve on two (2) subcommittees that each currently meet on a monthly basis.

Applications will be due by 5 p.m. on December 3, 2021, and all timely applicants will be invited to the public interview process conducted by the Board of Supervisors’ Public Protection Committee:  Supervisors Candace Andersen, District II, and Federal Glover, District V. This committee will then recommend a selection of applicants for Board of Supervisors to appoint to the Racial Justice Oversight Body.

Below is a complete timeline of this recruitment process to fill the five (5) vacant JJCC seats: 

• December 3: Final Day of the Application Period, due by 5:00 p.m.
• December 16: Public Protection Committee Meeting: Interviews
• January 11: Board of Supervisors Appointments

Application forms can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors by calling (925) 655-2000 or by visiting the County webpage at www.contracosta.ca.gov/3418/. Completed applications should be emailed to ClerkoftheBoard@cob.cccounty.us. Applications can also be mailed to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors Office at 1025 Escobar Street, 1st Floor, Martinez, CA 94553.

 

Signed by Biden on Monday

Washington, DC – In response to President Joe Biden signing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-09) issued the following statement on Monday, Nov. 15:

“Today, I had the privilege of joining President Biden as he signed into law the largest federal infrastructure investment in nearly a century. Americans called on us for action, and we answered ‘yes’ to rebuilding our communities, ‘yes’ to good union wages, ‘yes’ to expanding opportunity, and ‘yes’ to doing it all while tackling the climate crisis.

“Building back better is no longer just a promise, but a reality that Americans will see throughout their communities and across our nation. I am extremely proud that four bills I authored were encompassed in this historic law. As part of the law’s $65 billion broadband investment, the Digital Equity Act will provide $2.75 billion to help close gaps in broadband adoption and increase digital literacy. Connectivity and digital skills are essential for opening gateways to economic opportunity, and this funding is crucial for lifting up communities across the country – including many in my district. Additionally, the Cyber Sense Act and the Enhancing Grid Security Through Public-Private Partnerships Act will help bolster the cybersecurity of our electric utilities to better secure our grid as we confront a growing number of cyber threats. Finally, the Grid Hardening Act will dedicate $3 billion to modernize the electric grid, including upgrades to increase resiliency against wildfires.”

“Through investments such as the $55 billion allotted to update our drinking water infrastructure and $17 billion marked for ports and waterway enhancements, we will create an average of 1.5 million jobs per year over the next 10 years. Our roads and bridges will be repaired and rebuilt with an emphasis on climate change mitigation, and our commitment to reducing greenhouse emissions will be honored with the largest investment in public transit in our nation’s history.”

Rep. Jerry McNerney represents California’s 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Represents that includes portions of Contra Costa – including parts of Antioch, San Joaquin and Sacramento Counties. For more information on the Congressman’s work, follow him on Facebook and on Twitter @RepMcNerney.

Requires super majority to approve; Gioia, Glover vote no

Do approve body worn cameras for sheriff deputies.

By Daniel Borsuk

Going against the spirit of the 2020 voter-approved the early education-medical services-social needs message of the Measure X sales tax measure, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday narrowly rejected a proposal to spend a chunk of the initial $212. 5 million in one-time Measure X funds for Sheriff David Livingston’s department to hire additional deputies to beef up patrols especially in under-patrolled areas of the county.

Supervisors also learned the county would draw approximately $128.4 million in ongoing Measure X tax revenue a year for at least 2027.

On a 3 to 2 vote, with District 4 Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen, and board chair District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis casting votes calling for the expenditure of $6.4 million of Measure X funds for the hiring of patrol deputies designated for the under patrolled Bay Point, Saranap, and Rodeo areas, supervisors rejected a proposal to strengthen up patrols in those under-served areas of the county.

If approved, the proposal could have decreased response time by nearly 14 minutes and 21 seconds per call.

“Police and mental health services are my top priorities,” said District 2 Supervisor Candace Andersen of Danville. “Body cameras and patrols are needed.”

However, due to supervisors’ rules, locally generated tax funds require a super majority vote of four or more supervisors. As a result, Andersen’s motion to increase patrols with Measure X funds failed.

Funds for the Sheriff’s Department are allowed in the measure that passed by over 58% of the vote last November. The ballot language read, “To keep Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and staffed; fund community health centers; provide timely fire and emergency response; support crucial safety-net services; invest in early childhood services; protect vulnerable populations; and for other essential county services, shall the Contra Costa County measure levying a ½ cent sales tax, exempting food sales, providing an estimated $81,000,000 annually for 20 years that the State cannot take, requiring fiscal accountability, with funds benefiting County residents, be adopted?” CCC_2021MeasureX_FullText

District 1 Supervisor John Gioia and District 5 Supervisor Federal Glover voted against the proposal to increase patrols. The 3-2 was insufficient for supervisors to designate Measure X for the hiring of additional deputies based on board of supervisors’ rules.

“I want funding for the sheriff to be part of the general fund budget discussion, not part of Measure X,” explained Supervisor Glover of Pittsburg. Gioia gave no clear reason why he voted against increasing deputy patrols, but earlier he had talked about bringing the item before the finance committee that he and District 4 Supervisor

“I support giving more money to the sheriff,” said board chair Diane Burgis of Brentwood. “We are under-funding protective services in the Eastern area of the county.”

Supervisors did approve on a 4 to 1 vote the expenditure of $2.5 million of Measure X revenues for body worn cameras for sheriff deputies. District 1 Supervisor Gioia cast the sole opposition vote, siding with more than 60 speakers opposed to the proposed allocation of any Measure X funds to the sheriff.

“Let’s keep the spirit of Measure X,” said Pittsburg resident Francisco Flores.  “Please don’t treat this money as pork for the use of the sheriff.”

Supervisors also voted 5-0 to transfer $6 million in Measure X funds designated for Contra Costa County Health Center capital improvement projects like a parking garage to county services that are financially neglected like the county library system and childcare.

All of the 60 speakers opposed spending any Measure X tax revenue for the sheriff.

Speakers said spending Measure X money for law enforcement purposes violated the spirit of the November 2020 voter approved tax revenue measure designed to ramp up revenue for underfunded public health and social service programs and services.

“Let’s keep the spirit of Measure X alive,” said Pittsburg resident Francisco Flores, a member of the community action group ACCE.

“You must follow the funding requests of the advisory board,” pleaded Measure X Advisory Board Chair Mariana Moore.

Proposed Expenditures

Some of the county programs or capital projects proposed for Measure X funds include:

$40 million parking garage for the Contra Costa Regional Medical and Health Center in Martinez.

$17.2 million for East Contra Costa County Fire District fire station construction projects.

$5 million to modernize the psychiatric ward at the Contra Costa Regional Medical and Health Center in Martinez.

$1.2 million for the Racial Equity and Social Justice office.

$250,000 for arts and culture programs

$740,000 for the San Ramon Fire Emergency Medical Service,

Allen Payton contributed to this report.

Tom Menasco honored as Antioch Lifetime Veteran of the Year and J.R. Wilson as Antioch Veteran of the Year 2021-22

By Allen Payton

Antioch honored its military veterans on Veterans Day, on the 11th day of the 11th month, last Thursday, with a pancake breakfast, ceremonies at the Antioch Marina boat launch, a parade down W. Second Street in historic, downtown and a BBQ lunch at the VFW Post. The ceremony also included a rededication of the Antioch Veterans Memorial with the new mural on display for the first-time during Veterans Day. It concluded with the presentation of the Antioch Lifetime and Veterans of the Year.

The festivities began with the breakfast provided by the Antioch Rivertown Veterans Lions Club while the band Spinning Wheel performed on stage. J.R. Wilson, President of the Delta Veterans Group and Velma Wilson served as M.C.’s for the ceremony. The opening prayer was offered by Gabe Makinano, the presentation of colors by the Sea Cadets, the raising of the flag by the Antioch Police Department Honor Guard, the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Matthew Wilson and the National Anthem was performed by Velma Wilson. Taps was then performed by a trumpeter from the Antioch High School Marching Band. Martha Parsons then introduced local officials, other dignitaries and their representatives. District 3 Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock and District 2 Councilman Mike Barbanica were in attendance.

The combined bands of Antioch High and Deer Valley High Schools performed the official songs of all four military branches including the U.S. Air Force’s song Wild Blue Yonder, the Navy Hymn, The Army Goes Rolling Along and The Marines’ Hymn.

Tom Menasco of the Veterans Memorial Banner Program honored the key volunteers who have helped make the program a reality. There are now 158 banners lining Antioch streets honoring local veterans. Another nine will be posted by Christmas, he shared.

Student speakers included Annabelle Van Dyke, a fourth grader at Mission Elementary School and eighth grader Blake West, the student body president at Park Middle School.

The Antioch Veterans Memorial was rededicated, with a special plaque presented to former Antioch Mayor Sean Wright. Artist Javier Rocabado spoke, again about the mural he was commissioned to paint.

Tom Menasco was honored with the Antioch Lifetime Veterans of the Year 2021-22 by 2017 honoree Paul Scannell, and J.R. Wilson was honored as the Antioch Veteran of the Year 2021-22.

That was followed by the parade flowing west to east on W. Second Street. A barbeque lunch was then held at the Antioch VFW Post 6435 ending the day’s activities.

The day’s sponsors included the Antioch Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Antioch American Legion, Delta Veterans Group, City of Antioch Parks and Recreation, Maintenance and Police Departments, Antioch Rivertown Veterans Lions Club, Tri Delta Transit and Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill.

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

In response to the planned healthcare worker strikes beginning today and tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, Nov. 18 and 19, Kaiser Permanente issued the following statement:

We are extremely grateful for all our frontline health care workforce, whose commitment to providing care and service throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been nothing short of inspiring. We recently reached successful agreements with dozens of unions that represent more than 60,000 Kaiser Permanente employees that demonstrate our commitment to providing excellent wages and benefits for all employees while meeting our commitment to delivering high-quality, affordable care for our members and patients. These are market-leading contracts, reached through constructive and reasonable bargaining.

Bargaining with Local 39 IUOE

Kaiser Permanente has been bargaining in good faith with Local 39 IUOE, the union that represents about 600 Kaiser Permanente operating engineers, for several months. The union decided to call a strike and have kept employees out for more than two months. We are offering Local 39 employees wages that are similar to our other employees’ and that, on top of Local 39’s generous medical and the richest retirement benefits, will keep our engineers among the best compensated in their profession, at an average of more than $180,000 in total wages and benefits. We are not proposing any take-aways and our proposals do not differentiate between current and future employees. But union leadership wants more, asking for unreasonable increases far beyond any other union at Kaiser Permanente.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, after many hours bargaining on Tuesday and Wednesday, there is no movement in negotiations with Local 39. The union insists it receive much more – in some cases nearly two times more – than other union agreements covering Kaiser Permanente employees.

Michelle Gaskill-Hames, Senior Vice President, Hospital and Health Plan Operations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California spoke via video about the workers and patient care during the strike.

We are optimistic that we can resolve the remaining issues with Local 39 at the bargaining table and reach an agreement that continues to reward our employees and supports health care affordability, just as we have with several unions this week.

Sympathy strikes

As one of the largest health care union employers in the United States — with nearly 75% of our employees working under collective bargaining agreements — we fully understand solidarity among unions. But given the demands of Local 39, on top of the already market-leading compensation and highest retirement benefit of any represented employee in our organization, we believe that sympathy strikes are not appropriate in this case. We are asking our staff to choose to be there for our patients, and to come to work.

We question why leaders of other unions are asking their members to walk out on patients on Nov. 18 and 19 in sympathy for Local 39. This will not bring us closer to an agreement and most important, it is unfair to our members and patients to disrupt their care when they most need our employees to be there for them.

Several unions have submitted sympathy strike notices: SEIU-UHW, Local 20, and Local 29 on Thursday, November 18 and the California Nurses Association, Friday, November 19. Kaiser Permanente is not in bargaining with these unions, and each has a current contract. In fact, we have informed SEIU-UHW, Local 20, and Local 29 union leaders that we believe in accordance with their contracts, these sympathy strikes are not protected by law.

We are also in bargaining with NUHW, the union that represents our mental health professionals. NUHW has announced a one-day strike for Friday, November 19.

We have taken steps to ensure that our members and patients will continue to receive high-quality, safe care and service should these strikes occur.

We have prepared thoroughly to care for our patients in the event of a strike and are working diligently to reduce the impact.

• During the strike, care will be provided by physicians and experienced clinical managers and staff, with the support of trained and qualified contingency staff.
• Some non-urgent medical appointments or procedures may be affected, and we will reach out to patients to reschedule or convert appointments to phone or video if that is appropriate. We will not postpone any urgent or emergency care, or critical medical appointments.
• We encourage members to schedule an appointment should they need lab, optometry, or radiology services this week as some of our locations will be temporarily closed or operating with reduced hours. If a member has an urgent need for services, they should call the Appointment and Advice Call Center, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Some outpatient pharmacies will be temporarily closed from Nov. 18 and 19.  If a member does not need their refill right away, any closed pharmacies will reopen on Saturday, Nov. 20. Our Mail Delivery pharmacy will remain open during the strike to order refills at kp.org or by phone.
• In the event an urgent prescription is needed and the outpatient pharmacy is closed, Kaiser Permanente staff will provide members with direction on how to fill their prescription at an open Kaiser Permanente pharmacy or at a retail pharmacy. Hospital pharmacies for inpatient care and critical infusion services will remain in operation.
• All our hospitals and emergency departments will continue to be open during a strike and remain safe places to receive care.

As this is an evolving situation, we will continue to communicate directly with our members and post updates on kp.org as they are available.

We are very sorry for any disruption members may experience as we take steps to ensure that we continue to provide high-quality, safe care during this union strike.

Kaiser Permanente is indisputably one of the most labor-friendly organizations in the United States.

Our history and our future are deeply connected to organized labor. Labor unions have always played an important role in our efforts to provide more people with access to high-quality care and to make care more affordable.

It’s unconscionable that union leaders would ask health care workers to walk away from the patients who need them and deliberately disrupt their care.

Poetry Out Loud (POL) is an exciting national competition started in 2005 by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. The contest challenges high school students to memorize and recite poetry, a chance to showcase their talents, build self-confidence, and gain both an appreciation and understanding of poetry.

The Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County has been an official local partner of California Arts Council’s for Poetry Out Loud since 2007. Every Contra Costa County high school is encouraged to participate. Local arts non-profit organizations and libraries are welcome and encouraged to participate as well. Each year ten to fifteen high schools representing East, West, and Central County have participated. These include public schools, private schools, charter schools, alternative schools, court schools, and homeschool groups.

Poetry Out Loud is a free program!

There is no cost to either the school or the students.

HOW DOES POL WORK?

Poetry Out Loud is a tiered competition structure that begins in the classroom. High school teachers use the free Poetry Out Loud teacher toolkit (https://www.poetryoutloud.org/teachers-organizers/lesson-plans/) to teach poetry recitation and run classroom competitions. Class winners advance to the school-wide competition, then one school champion enters the county competition. The County winner is eligible to compete in the state competition, and the state winner competes in the national finals in Washington D.C. for a grand prize of $20,000.

Poetry Out Loud has been made accessible to accommodate in-person and virtual teaching environments at the school level. Additional information on this year’s hybrid model will be shared with participating schools.

Please complete form by 12/15/21! POETRY OUT LOUD 2021-22

Please feel free to email our county coordinator, Brennan DeFrisco, at bdeeppoetry@gmail.com or call (925) 984-4031 for any questions you may have.

Thank you for your interest in supporting Poetry Out Loud!

 

At least two at “home sick Monday with bad stomachaches”

By Allen Payton

Fourteen children were given higher doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine than they should have received at Sutter Health’s Antioch Urgent Care clinic in the Blue Rock Center over the weekend.

A statement was issued by Dr. Jimmy Hu, a pediatrician and Chair of the Sutter Health COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force:

“This weekend 14 patients at our Antioch pediatric vaccine clinic received vaccines with an incorrect amount of diluent. As soon as we learned of this, we contacted the parents and advised them of CDC guidance in this situation. The safety of our patients is our top priority, and we immediately reviewed our processes to help make sure this doesn’t happen again. According to the CDC, patients who receive vaccine with an incorrect diluent volume may experience more arm soreness, fatigue, headache, or a fever in response to the dose given.”

According to Sutter Health spokesperson, Monique Binkley-Smith, the children received more than the 5- to 11-year-old dose of 10 micrograms, and approximately two-thirds the dose of what a 12-year-old or older would get of 30 micrograms.

The vaccine dilution/prep process is done on-site-at the clinics, the same day it’s administered.

According to an ABC news report, two of the children got sick after receiving the vaccine.

“I’m here tonight to report my story because it’s unacceptable; you expect your medical professionals to give you correct doses,” parent Denise Iserloth said.

Denise and her husband Shawn’s eight and 11-year-old children were among the kids given the wrong amount of coronavirus vaccine.

“The Iserloths, whose children were both home sick Monday with bad stomachaches, say their two children were given 20 micrograms of dosage instead of the recommended 10. They’re now very concerned about any long-term effects,” according to the ABC report.

The children are expected to be fine.

“According to the CDC, patients who receive vaccine with an incorrect diluent volume may experience more arm soreness, fatigue, headache, or a fever in response to the dose given,” Binkley-Smith shared.

Also according to the CDC, “Scientists have conducted clinical trials with about 3,000 children, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has met the safety and efficacy standards for authorization in children ages 5 through 11 years old.  The safety of COVID-19 vaccines continues to be monitored.”