Redwood City – The County of San Mateo continues to work to protect public health and safety in response to the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
The County of San Mateo’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains open to coordinate countywide response and communications in response to the situation. The EOC’s Joint Information Center will provide status reports every Thursday until further notice. Today’s report:
Vaccine Eligibility Opens to Residents 16 and Older
Beginning today, all California residents age 16 and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
This milestone in the fight against the coronavirus, however, comes as vaccine supplies remain limited.
Residents are urged to check for availability and appointments with their health care providers and local pharmacies. California provides a “VaccineFinder” tool at https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/
Residents can also sign up at myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255 to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. If appointments are not available, residents can sign up to be notified when they are.
San Mateo County residents are encouraged to also sign up for the County’s notification tool to receive information about how to make an appointment.
San Mateo County Health continues to focus on small, targeted clinics in communities in need, as vaccine supply remains limited.
COVID-19 Vaccines: Frequently Asked Questions
The County has updated a list of Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 vaccines, eligibility and other useful information.
Learn more at https://cmo.smcgov.org/press-release/covid-19-vaccines-frequently-asked-questions
County Health Pauses Use of Janssen Vaccine
Following state and federal guidance, County Health has paused the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine.
Community clinics with planned use of Janssen will switch to Pfizer or Moderna. Other initiatives that utilize Janssen, including vaccination of homebound residents, patients discharged from hospitals, and new bookings at correctional facilities, will be reevaluated.
Learn more at https://cmo.smcgov.org/press-release/april-13-2021-san-mateo-county-health-pauses-use-janssen-johnson-johnson-vaccine
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises anyone who has have received the Janssen (J&J) vaccine and develops severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination to contact their healthcare provider or seek medical care.
Vaccine Doses Administered Tops Half Million
A total of 372,237 individuals have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot in San Mateo County as of Wednesday, April 14, 2021. This represents 58 percent of county residents age 16 and older.
Of the total, 247,259 individuals have completed the vaccination series, bringing the total number of doses administered to 592,184
COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Allocation Dashboard
County Health now publishes a dashboard showing the pathways COVID-19 vaccine reaches San Mateo County and how those doses are allocated through County Health, health care systems, pharmacies and other distribution systems.
Learn more at https://www.smchealth.org/data-dashboard/vaccine-dose-allocation
County Manager’s Media Briefing
The Wednesday, April 14, 2021, media briefing on the County’s response to COVID-19 hosted by County Manager Mike Callagy can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/FWhEJ1kjP00
San Mateo County Libraries Announces New Express Service
Starting the week of April 19, 2021, San Mateo County Libraries will expand hours and begin in-library, Express Service while also continuing to offer popular curbside services. Express Service includes access to computers and printers, browsing materials and Wi-Fi.
Learn more at https://smcl.org/news/san-mateo-county-libraries-is-excited-to-announce-new-express-service/
Parks Extends Hours Starting Friday
Starting Friday, April 16, 2021, San Mateo County Parks will extend park closing times to 7 p.m.
Closing times will be extended to 8 p.m. on May 1, 2021. Most County parks, regional trails and playgrounds are open. Learn more at https://parks.smcgov.org/
COVID-19 Case Counts
County Health reports a total of 41,015 total cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 stand at 556.
Additional information such as cases by age group, cases by race/ethnicity and deaths by age is available at https://www.smchealth.org/data-dashboard/county-data-dashboard
211 Call Center
Residents with non-medical, non-emergency questions about the coronavirus can call 211 at any time, day or night.
Callers from landlines and cellular telephones located within San Mateo County are connected with a trained service professional from 211, a confidential service available in 180 languages.
Residents can also text their zip code to 898-211. The system will ask for your age and gender in order to understand your eligibilty and needs. You can then ask a question and receive a text response from a 211 operator.