San Mateo County focused on remedying errors

During the meeting, supervisors granted county staff authority to distribute surplus nonmedical grade safety equipment to nonprofits and agencies but not before highlighting the need for accountability and transparency in how the equipment valued at around $7 million was left out in the San Mateo County Event Center parking lot during multiple rainstorms.

County Manager Callagy said he takes full responsibility for the error, which is now under an independent investigation. Board President Don Horsley said the results of that investigation must be made available to the public along with an audit being conducted by a surplus expert with former government experience.

“Not to drag this out, but I think the public is entitled to transparency,” Horsley said.

Callagy said the county acquired the equipment early on in the pandemic when agencies everywhere were searching for resources. The surplus items were intended to be used in medical congregate settings in case hospitals become overwhelmed but went unused, prompting officials to attempt to distribute the items to no avail before they were moved outside during a tech convention in September.

Callagy has said he believes the oversight occurred due to a breakdown in standard protocol and assured the board a similar error would not be repeated.

It’s unclear how much time will be needed to complete both reviews but early assessments show that about 10% to 12% of the nonsurgical gowns left outside were damaged while face shields, goggles and cleaning materials appear to be reusable, Callagy said.

Whatever is damaged will be disposed of and the remaining items will be distributed to organizations and government agencies in the county and across the nation with support from the nonprofit Wine Country Marines.

“While we deeply regret the damage that occurred during last fall’s rainy season, we are grateful the vast majority of the supplies are still usable and can support purposes including wildfire cleanup, disaster relief and other emergency response efforts,” Callagy said in a press release. “As we move forward, we encourage local community-based organizations that have a need for these supplies to reach out with their request as we are committed to deploying these supplies in ways that protect the well-being and safety of the community.”

Addressing testing delays

County officials are also working to remedy delays in COVID-19 testing results after people who were tested through the vendor, Virus Geeks, reported waits of more than a week. The South San Francisco company holds a memorandum of understanding with the county to operate a site at the Event Center where about 1,500 tests were being administered daily.

Callagy said the county will be replacing Virus Geeks with a different vendor by the end of the month. In turn, Virus Geeks will continue working with school districts, he said, adding that the company has done well in prioritizing students and athletes.

Demand for testing skyrocketed during the recent surge, overwhelming testing vendors across the county and remains high, Rogers noted. Referencing state data, Rogers said an average of 1,658 tests are being administered per day for every 100,000 residents.

Difficult weeks ahead

After more than 38,000 residents contracted the virus in the past 30 days, cases now appear to be plateauing. However, looking at other areas hit by omicron before the Bay Area, Rogers said the county has “a few difficult weeks still ahead.”

According to state data based on a rolling seven-day average, the county is seeing about 1,661 new cases per day, down from the 1,692 new cases per day reported in last week’s data, Rogers said.

Hospitalizations have remained fairly stable week over week with an average of 142 patients seeking care, 31 needing intensive treatment. While infections during the recent omicron surge have far surpassed the number of cases identified during previous spikes, Rogers noted hospitalizations have yet to reach rates seen last winter when more than 200 patients were being treated at any given time.

Officials have pointed to the county’s high vaccination rate as a major benefit in preventing a greater amount of hospitalizations. Lizelle Lirio de Luna, the director of Family Health Services who has been overseeing the county’s vaccination effort said 80% of all county residents are now fully vaccinated with about 93% of residents ages 12 and older having received at least one dose and more than 370,000 eligible residents having received a booster.

Demand for boosters at large-scale events has dwindled but de Luna noted that smaller community clinics have seen a steady flow of patients. She went on to stress the importance of vaccinations for all community members, noting clinics are widely available.

“We do want to see all eligible residents receive boosters so they can maintain optimal protection,” de Luna said. “We continue to stress it’s not too late. This is the time. There’s no better time for people to get vaccinations and boosters.”

Visit the County Health website at smchealth.org/coronavirus to learn more about testing and vaccination opportunities.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106