Emails Show Los Gatos School District Cut Vaccine Line: Report

LOS GATOS, CA — Emails sent between employees at the Los Gatos Union School District and Good Samaritan Hospital indicate that the school district received preferential access to COVID-19 vaccinations through an arrangement with the hospital, according to a report by the Mercury News.

The situation unfolded in January, when vaccines were scarce and teachers were not yet eligible. Paul Johnson, the superintendent of the school district, emailed employees informing them that they could sign up for vaccinations at Good Samaritan and to register as a health care worker.

While Johnson told the Mercury News that Good Samaritan was not “returning a good deed” because the school district had helped raise money for a program at the hospital to feed health care workers, the emails obtained by the newspaper indicate otherwise.

The incident, first reported by San Jose Spotlight, sparked outrage among residents who thought that the school district was cutting the line. As a result, Santa Clara County withheld vaccine doses from Good Samaritan, which closed its vaccine clinic last week.

Read the full report from the Mercury News here.