Allocation of vaccine expanding in San Mateo County

Seniors, the most vulnerable to the virus, are the next top priority within the state’s vaccination framework after health care workers and long-term care facility residents and staff. With about 130,000 senior county residents qualified for vaccination, approximately 22% have already received at least a first dose, said Deputy Chief of Health Srija Srinivasan.

A vaccine clinic for in-home service workers and Health Plan of San Mateo members ages 65 and older is being held at the San Mateo County Event Center through Friday, Feb. 5. The county aims to inoculate 2,000 people per day during the appointment-only event.

HPSM is also working with One Medical, a membership-based primary care practice, to vaccinate its members ages 65 and older. The San Mateo Medical Center is still focused on vaccinated members ages 75 and older.

Similar clinics have been hosted at the event center by large health care systems like Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health and Dignity Health, responsible for vaccinating its members. Based on vaccine supply, each multicounty entity sets its own pace for moving through the phases, mostly prioritizing residents ages 75 and older.

Additional clinics will also be hosted in February to provide second doses to roughly 14,000 people initially vaccinated in January. The county is working on contracting a vendor to administer vaccines, which would allow other health care workers to return to their duties.

Until vaccine supply increases, other identified priority groups including educators, grocery workers and nonmedical first responders, will be left waiting. Callagy noted the issue is one being experienced nationally.

Of the county’s roughly 780,000 residents, just more than 642,000 are 16 years old and older and therefore eligible for vaccination. To date, 67,292 residents have been vaccinated, about 10% of the total eligible population.

“This is not a San Mateo County issue. It’s a statewide issue. It’s an issue throughout the United States,” said Callagy, noting the county has also been distributing vaccines to local facilities without access to direct shipments.

The size and schedules of vaccine shipments have been unpredictable. County officials have noted some weeks facilities may receive thousands of doses while other weeks vials are shipped in the low hundreds. The formula used by the state to calculate how many doses each facility is to receive is also unknown to the public and local jurisdictions, said Srinivasan.

California leadership recently announced a shift in the approach to vaccine distribution, tapping Blue Shield of California and Kaiser Permanente to manage allocations. The contracts between the state and the insurance and medical agencies are still being finalized leaving local officials in the dark on how distribution into the county may change.

“We really are welcoming the leadership and involvement of every level of government and our major health care partners to try to have the reach of the vaccine go as quickly and safely as possible,” said Srinivasan.

Still top of mind for county officials is simultaneously managing the spread of the virus, including new more infectious variants. A drop in hospitalization figures is a good sign the county may be recovering from the holiday surge but Srinivasan warned that infection rates still greatly surpass figures from the summer when many business restrictions were reduced.

As of Feb. 2, 122 patients are in San Mateo County hospitals with COVID-19, 29 in the ICU. At its peak, the county passed 200 hospitalizations while the summertime had numbers fall into the teens.

More than 36,000 residents have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic with 8,537 occurring in the last 30 days. Virus-related deaths have also nearly surpassed the 400 mark, more than half taking place over the past two months.

“We have seen many more fatalities with this last surge than any other time in the pandemic and it is very humbling and very sobering about the toll of this disease and its seriousness,” said Srinivasan.

How new virus mutations may have exacerbated the most recent surge is still unknown, said Srinivasan. Experts have found the new strains are more infectious than the original but have yet to determine whether each variant is more lethal.

Residents are reminded to practice safety social distancing, wear a face covering and to avoid large gatherings to prevent further spreading. Testing is also highly advised, however, test site locations have changed in the county as mass vaccine efforts continue at the Event Center.

Now residents and those who work in the county can access free testing at College of San Mateo, capable of 1,000 people a day, Sunday through Thursday. Additional standing test sites are also staged in San Bruno, North Fair Oaks, Daly City and East Palo Alto.

“It’s just so important for our future as individuals and as a county that we all see this through to the finish line,” said Collage. “Where that finish line is, I don’t think anyone knows.”

Health Plan of San Mateo members can visit hpsm.org/covid-19/vaccinations to learn more about accessing a vaccine. Visit smchealth.org/covidvaccine for additional vaccine information provided by San Mateo County. Visit smcgov.org/testing for more free testing information.

Note to readers: This story has been corrected to reflect the accurate percentage of senior residents who have been vaccinated. San Mateo County has inaculated 22% of its senior population ages 65 and older. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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