San Mateo County Update on the COVID-19 Vaccine

South San Francisco, CA  December 23, 2020 Press Release

• San Mateo County has been allotted an initial 5,850 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and expects to receive five or six times that amount of Pfizer and Moderna combined doses by the end of December 2020. The vaccine doses will be distributed to hospitals in San Mateo County, which will administer to their staffs.

• Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, Sequoia Hospital, Kaiser in Redwood City, and Kaiser in South San Francisco will receive their distribution of one box (975 doses) directly from the state. The one-box allotments for San Mateo Medical Center and Seton Medical Center are at San Mateo Medical Center. Seton’s box has been transferred to Seton in Daly City. Each facility will manage its vaccination operation.

• The health care partners that receive the initial doses will decide whether to disseminate all of their limited first allotments or to hold some in reserve for the second doses that need to follow within 21 or 28 days.

• Future allocations of vaccine, starting with the next batch (Moderna), will go directly to multi-county entities like Kaiser, Sutter, and Dignity from the California Department of Public Health. They will receive the vaccine directly from the state’s allotment.

• Congregate care facilities are part of the CDC’s Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/long-term-care/pharmacy-partnerships.html

• Local Walgreens and CVS pharmacies will work directly with long-term care facilities to administer vaccines, which are expected to begin at the end of December 2020. County Health has worked to ensure that all local congregate care facilities have signed up for the program. We will monitor their progress and provide support if needed.

• County Health will vaccinate medical first responders (paramedics and EMTs), about 1,200, and will support the vaccination of staff at congregate care facilities if needed. When organizations cannot vaccinate their staff or residents directly, a county partner will do so.

• We estimate 24,000 of the total 38,000 health care workers (this includes direct clinical care, those who handle cleaning, etc.) in San Mateo County will receive their first (of two) doses of vaccine from these initial shipments. Future shipments are already in process and will provide the second doses for these critical groups.

• San Mateo Medical Center has begun vaccinating front-line staff.

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Please note our latest update to our website had a glitch which is preventing comments from being viewed by the public and we are working to resolve this and appreciate your patience- thank you.

COMMENTS

*The latest South City announcement about Covid poses more questions than it answers. How, where, and when does someone who is 73 years old, is insured, has no co-morbidity, and is not housed in a congregant-care facility get vaccinated? – Tamara T

*My wife is 70 years old and has asthma and COPD which the MDs say she is at the highest risk of anyone. Why isn’t she above those that are older without these life-threatening respiratory conditions? It is a crime. -Rod

*When and how does a 79 year old male, who is retired, lives with his spouse in San Carlos, CA, is of average health, and has insurance from both Medicare and a linked, secondary insurer, schedule the two injection COVID-19 vaccine? The local Walgreens pharmacist reports as of December 25th they have no instructions from the State or county about vaccinations for people age 75 and older. This is somewhat frustrating because three 75+ family members who live in San Antonio, TX, Orlando, FL and Burke, VA already have appointments to be vaccinated by Walgreens with the first in the week before New Years and the last before the middle of January, 2021. – Bill Bromiley

*Who are being vaccinated at this time? What are the criteria for eligibility? – Tamara

*I am 77 years old with heart problems and diabetes, in group 1B as best I can tell.

How do I register for a coronavirus vaccine injection. – John Adam

*Good question. Indeed, how does anyone line up for the vaccine? Who sets the guidelines and where are they to be found? – Tamara

*Hello and thank you for your work.
Q: I am a San Mateo resident, will be 75 in March 2021, have several autoimmune diseases plus serious cardiac arrhythmias (SVT and Heart Block). My medical care is provided by a Sequoia Hospital physician, please advise me when I can make an appointment for Covid vaccine. – Susan U.