San Mateo County stuck in orange tier

Regionally, COVID-19 cases have been on the decline but San Mateo County’s adjusted case rate, one of three metrics used to determine tier assignments, has hovered just above the threshold to qualify for the move.

Entering into the yellow tier requires the county’s adjusted case rate to fall below two new cases for every 100,000 residents. As of Tuesday, the state reported the county as having an adjusted case rate of 2.5 new cases for every 100,000 residents, a positivity rate of 0.9% and a Health Equity Metric, a figure indicating the spread of COVID in underserved communities, of 1.4%.

Callagy’s announcement follows one made by Chief of Health Louise Rogers last week in which she said the county would likely move into the least restrictive tier with other Bay Area counties. When Rogers made the assertion, the county’s case rate had fallen to two cases and seemed to be dipping.

In a change of tone, Callagy said the county will likely remain in the orange tier, signaling a moderate risk of spreading the virus, for weeks. He went on to say the county could remain stuck until June 15, when Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to lift the tier system if vaccinations progress and hospitalizations continue to decline.

“We tried very diligently to get below that [threshold],” said Callagy. “Maybe we’ll never get there and, on June 15, the tier system will go away. We’ll see what happens here. It’s hard to say.”

Callagy encouraged residents to get vaccinated as a means of helping the county reach the state’s threshold before mid-June.

All residents ages 16 and older are eligible to access vaccines at the county’s drive-thru mass vaccination events being held at the San Mateo County Event Center which resumed Wednesday. Officials plan to host up to three mass vaccinations events per week, using roughly 24,000 federally and state allocated doses, said Callagy.

Targeted clinics are simultaneously being held in North Fair Oaks, East Palo Alto, San Mateo, Daly City, El Granada and Half Moon Bay. The areas are home to some of the hardest hit by the pandemic but still trail the county as a whole in vaccinations by nearly 15%.

Deputy Chief of Health Srija Srinivasan reiterated the county’s goal of closing the gap during the press briefing. She highlighted the constraints many face in accessing clinics such as child care needs, scheduling issues, inconsistent pathways and distrust in officials or the vaccines.

“Our goal is zero gap and we’re continuing to persist and learning what is necessary to remove the barriers that are contributing to the gap right now,” said Srinivasan. “We also are humble about the distrust that needs to be overcome and earned.”

Vaccination efforts in the county’s underserved communities will likely require more sustained effort, said Srinivasan. The county has focused on socioeconomically challenged areas for months, having halted mass vaccination events when supply became constrained to direct doses to community clinics.

Despite some known vaccine hesitancy, Callagy said it’s unclear to what extent the public is concerned by the virus or are simply waiting out the crowds. He said the county still feels its goal of vaccinating 90% of county residents against the virus is achievable with roughly 70% of residents having been vaccinated to date.

“We will utilize every means possible to make sure that we reach our goal and we’re usually pretty good at reaching our goals,” said Callagy. “I have no doubt that we’ll get there.”

Callagy also suggested vaccine supply from the state should continue to improve in the coming weeks. The event center will be the county’s central mass vaccination site but the county will move to the San Francisco International Airport when the San Mateo County Fair returns in June.

Responding to a recommendation change by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which states fully vaccinated people can go without masks when outdoors except when in crowded areas, Callagy said the county would follow state guidance. The California Department of Public Health intends to align with the CDC, said Callagy.

Residents are encouraged to use the state’s MyTurn platform to schedule a vaccine appointment. Visit smchealth.org/covid-19-vaccination-program-overview for more information on accessing a COVID-19 vaccine.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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