El Paso mayor, county judge say they’re working in unison; Most El Pasoans surveyed will take vaccine

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — For the first time since the City and County diverged on a countywide shutdown that was issued on Oct. 29, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo and El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego appeared at the same COVID-19 update on Thursday afternoon.

“We had a sleepover,” Margo quipped when asked when and how the two entities reunited. He added that the issues the two faced were the legal questions surrounding the shutdown.

“I understand that we are subordinate to his legal oversight,” Margo said. “The bottom line is that both of us are trying to do what’s best for this community.”

Samaniego concurred, saying “we’re in sync,” and added that there were two different lanes the City and County had to take in regard to the shutdown.

Both added that they have shifted in a direction that best serves El Pasoans to help combat the spread of COVID-19.

Public Health Director Angela Mora said that preliminary results of a COVID-19 vaccine survey by the City of El Paso found that most El Pasoans say they will take the vaccine when it is widely available. Would you get a COVID-19 vaccine?

According to Mora, of the 4,831 respondents, 86 percent said they will definitely get it or probably get it, while 68 percent said they will not get it or probably not get it because they are concerned about side effects and safety.

Mora said that most respondents said they were essential workers.

Although the Health Department is still waiting on numbers that indicate how El Paso fared from the Thanksgiving holiday and travel, the City has seen a willingness from the community to do what’s necessary to protect others during the last few months, Mora said.

From mid-October to Nov. 26, positivity rates peaked and then started trending downward, attributing that to the City’s educational efforts and the willingness of the community to want to make a difference by following health protocols.

You can view full news conference in the player below:

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