coronavirus

San Mateo County to Hold COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at SFO

In addition to the vaccination clinic at SFO, there will be a clinic for second-dose vaccinations at the San Mateo County Event Center.

With the release of city-level vaccination data and an upcoming vaccination clinic at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Mateo County continues to make strides in its COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

These announcements were made Tuesday during a meeting of the county's Board of Supervisors, where Chief of San Mateo County Health Louise Rogers gave a presentation along with Dr. Anand Chabra, the county's COVID-19 mass vaccination section chief and Family Health Services medical director.

Chabra said that in addition to the vaccination clinic at SFO, there will be a clinic for second-dose vaccinations at the San Mateo County Event Center. The clinics are operated by the county as part of its effort to be a safety net for people who have no health plan or no other way to access the vaccine. 

For both clinics, appointments and the waitlist have been filled, according to San Mateo County Health Public Information Officer Preston Merchant. 

Vaccinations at the San Mateo County Event Center take place Monday through Thursday this week and cater to about 9,550 people -- mostly health care workers, Merchant said -- who received their first vaccine dose last month. 

The clinic at the SFO, located at the airport's Long Term Parking Lot, will provide first vaccine doses to about 5,550 residents 65 years and older, starting Friday, then on Feb. 16 and 17.

As of Sunday, 84,783 people in the county have received at least their first dose of the vaccine, including 43,661 individuals 65 and older, or about one-third of the county's population in that age group. Vaccination data is provided via the California Immunization Registry (CAIR2).

The county also released figures for cities in which individuals have been vaccinated via a new data dashboard, which shows that Daly City, San Mateo and Redwood City have had the most vaccinated residents so far.

Vaccine rollout continues via multi-county health care providers, pharmacy partnerships and the county's health department, with priority given to the 65 and older population and remaining health care workers.

During Tuesday's meeting, board supervisors also advocated for vaccination of educators, farm workers and law enforcement personnel. Each of these groups will be next in line for the vaccine, once more vaccine doses arrive and the county completes vaccination of the 65 and older age group.

The county's health department estimates that there are almost 40,000 workers in these groups: 15,000 in education; 2,100 in law enforcement; 1,500 farm workers; and 21,000 other workers in childcare, food or agriculture sectors.

Rogers said that despite the limited vaccine supply, the county is working with the Office of Education and other partners to ensure that the vaccine is accessible to people once more doses arrive.

Supervisor Dave Pine asked whether the county was considering Santa Clara County's "no wrong door" approach to vaccination, in which residents can get vaccinated anywhere in the county regardless of insurance. Rogers said this was an approach the county had hoped for in the beginning but it might be out of reach now. 

"But it isn't out of the question that we could get there," Rogers said. "We would be very interested in any reforms that would increase the simplicity of the rollout and the simplicity of the administration while also ensuring that most impacted, lowest income healthy places index census tracts are not trampled in the stampede to get the vaccine."

Visit the county's COVID-19 web page at https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus for vaccination information, health data and other information.

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