San Mateo County focus turns to most vulnerable

“We really want to reach every nook and cranny of San Mateo County,” said Callagy.

The efforts take shape as the county’s confirmed COVID-19 case count reached 747, up from 739 the day prior. There are 21 fatalities linked to the disease, as the death toll has remained flat since last week.

County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow issued a new order Wednesday requiring residential care facilities to screen residents and staff for fever and signs of respiratory illness, to take reasonable steps to acquire personal protective equipment for staff and to alert San Mateo County Health within one hour if a resident or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.

The order tightens a previous order that limited visitors and seeks to strengthen it.

At a broader level, Callagy said the personnel exists to do much more testing, but a dearth of available supplies limits the county’s capacity. And more broadly, he said a lack of vital equipment exists in a constricted market driven by skyrocketing demand.

The personal protective equipment marketplace is “like the Wild, Wild West,” said Callagy, who added costs are constantly driven higher and availability is often limited to the highest bidder.

Supplies, staffing and space are the three key variables in the equation considered by officials calculating when the stay-at-home order may be lifted and society can reopen, said Callagy.

With adequate response staffing levels and many locals adhering to social distancing standards, Callagy said solving the supply shortage remains a hurdle to overcome. Ultimately, any determination to lift the shelter-in-place mandate will come from local health officials, who Callagy has said are expected to move incrementally.

While crafting such plans, Callagy said officials are committed to protecting those with a limited safety net during the global health crisis.

One such group is the roughly 7,600 living in the county’s senior care homes or skilled nursing facilities, who comprise the most vulnerable to the threat posed by the coronavirus.

County officials are working with medical professionals to assure there is adequate staffing, supplies and care programs in those facilities, and working with personnel to assure they are properly trained to meet specialized needs, said Callagy.

Peninsula Health Care District and Peninsula Family Services officials are also seeking volunteers who can call to connect and check on seniors living in care facilities who may be feeling isolated.

Volunteers are also making masks which can be distributed to the county’s homeless population, said Callagy. He added county officials are working to identify roughly 100 new hotel rooms which can be used to provide shelter to those threatened by the virus.

The hotel rooms can help make more space at homeless shelters and get people off the street, said Callagy.

“We think it is a much, much better setting for those folks,” he said.

For the undocumented population, the county Board of Supervisors established an ad-hoc committee designed to assure everyone in the community feels safe when seeking medical care or additional services.

Supervisors are also expected to pass a resolution at an upcoming meeting decrying xenophobia, in light of a rise of harassment targeting Asian communities in recent weeks.

Callagy said hopefully the ordinance can serve as a model for other local elected officials to adopt in the effort to encourage tolerance amid a difficult time for all.

He said the effort is essential “to make sure are we reaching all our community members.”

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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