San Mateo County Readies For Coronavirus Vaccine

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — San Mateo County is gearing up in anticipation of a coronavirus vaccine, a top health official said Tuesday.

The county is working with the state — and the state is working with the federal government and the CDC — in anticipation of a vaccine, Chief of San Mateo County Health Louise Rogers said during a presentation the county Board of Supervisors.

Early findings show a vaccine developed by biopharmaceutical company Pfizer was more than 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, while one developed by Moderna, a biotech company, was found to be 94.5 percent effective.

However, once approved, the vaccine will take time to reach everyone. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, estimated that vaccinations could begin at the end of December for health workers and at-risk populations, and around April 2021 for the general population.

On a county level, Rogers said vaccine distribution would involve mobilizing pharmacies, investigating freezer capacity, working with private health care providers and creating infrastructure for mass vaccinations.

Regarding which populations will be prioritized for vaccination, Rogers said that from her understanding, medically high-risk and older adults will be some of the earliest populations to receive the vaccine.

County Supervisor David Canepa asked that Rogers and other health officials prioritize essential workers for vaccination.

"We should be looking at where the virus is flourishing, which is among essential workers," Canepa said. "They should be first in line to get a vaccine. We owe them that."

Rogers’ statement followed an announcement Monday that San Mateo County amid a spike in coronavirus cases had been moved back from the orange to the red tier of the state's Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

San Mateo joined other Bay Area counties who moved to more restrictive tiers on Monday.
The rise in San Mateo County's COVID-19 cases mirrors the statewide and national trend, but health officials say the county is prepared.

For the week ending Nov. 10, San Mateo County had an adjusted rate of 5.7 cases per day per 100,000, more than double the previous week's rate of 2.2 cases per 100,000.

The county's test positivity rate rose from 1.3 percent to 2.1 percent, compared to the state's 5.2 percent. County data shows there have been 12,684 total COVID-19 cases so far, including 127 new cases on Monday.

Moving to the red means decreased capacity for indoor dining and places of worship. Bars that don't serve meals must now close completely after being allowed to open outdoors in the orange tier, which the county was in last week.

For COVID-19 testing sites in San Mateo County click here and type in "San Mateo County."

For guidelines on travel and gatherings during the holidays, click here.

— Bay City News and Patch editor Gideon Rubin contributed to this report