June 17, 2021
  • 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:

    County Hits Vaccination Milestone, Joins the State in Reopening
    As more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been delivered into the arms of its residents, San Mateo County joined the state this week in removing capacity limits and distancing requirements in nearly all circumstances.

    Anyone age 12 and older can get vaccinated for free in San Mateo County. Vaccines are widely available at health care providers as well as certain pharmacies and other locations.

    County Health operates or supports numerous clinics with a focus on areas with low vaccination rates. To find a vaccine site near you, go to County Health’s vaccination calendar. The state’s MyTurn site also provides information about local vaccine clinics, including those at pharmacies and grocery stores. Appointments are optional. Go to https://myturn.ca.gov for more information.

    Request a Vaccination Clinic for Your Organization or Neighborhood
    The County is partnering with local groups to bring targeted vaccine pop-up events to groups of 25 or more. Request an event at least two weeks in advance.

    “In addition to focusing on geographic accessibility, we particularly want to continue to increase vaccination rates among our communities of color that are experiencing rates lower than the county overall,” said County Health Chief Louise Rogers.

    Guidance for Face Coverings
    The County fully aligns with the state of California’s “Beyond the Blueprint” guidance, which ends the color-coded reopening tier systems. This includes new guidance for face coverings:

    Masks are not required for fully vaccinated individuals, except in the following settings where masks are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status:

    On public transit (airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares) and in transportation hubs (airport, bus terminal, marina, train station, seaport or other port, subway station, or any other area that provides transportation)

    Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings

    Health care settings, including long-term care facilities

    State and local correctional facilities and detention centers


    Homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers

    Additionally, masks are required for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses (retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, meetings, state and local government offices serving the public).

    Businesses, public agencies and other organizations may still require face coverings, for both employees and members of the public.

    The County of San Mateo will require members of the public entering County offices or interacting with County employees to wear face coverings. County employees will be required to wear facial coverings in alignment with Cal/OSHA’s workplace safety requirements, and the County will also continue to enforce physical distancing requirements in County offices as well.

    COVID-19 Testing
    Testing remains an important strategy in continuing to reduce the spread of the disease and to protect individuals who have not been vaccinated. Testing is available for all ages, including young children and infants, and all testing sites now use more comfortable testing methods by swabbing the front part of the nose or mouth.

    People who are vaccinated or unvaccinated should get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19. Unvaccinated persons should get tested if they have had close contact with someone with COVID-19 or have concerns about being infected or exposed.

    See smcgov.org/testing for more information about locations and schedules. In addition to these sites, testing is also available from health care providers and other community organizations.

    Great Plates Transition Plan to Board of Supervisors
    Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Great Plates Delivered program has provided nearly 2.7 million restaurant-prepared meals to San Mateo County’s low-income seniors and those most at-risk from the coronavirus.

    Now, as federal funding for the program ends July 9, the County is preparing a transition plan for those who remain food insecure that will go to the Board of Supervisors on June 29.

    Current Great Plates Delivered clients who remain food insecure will be directly contacted by County staff or the Second Harvest Food Bank with information about post-Great Plates Delivered options. (Great Plates is no longer accepting applicants.)

    Older adults who are not enrolled in Great Plates Delivered should call County Health’s Aging and Adult Services helpline at (800) 675-8437 for information on other nutrition assistance. This phone number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

    “Great Plates is a great example of the power of partnerships,” said Lisa Mancini, director of the County’s Aging and Adult Services. “Vulnerable seniors needed healthy food. Restaurants struggling with COVID shutdowns needed business. So we paired them together so everyone would benefit.”

    Great Plates by the Numbers:

    4,689: Total Clients Served

    3,492: Current Clients

    2,690,220: Meals Delivered

    84: Participating Restaurants

    $59,184,840: Total Funds Going to Participating Restaurants

    Vaccine Doses Administered Tops 1 Million
    A total of 1,009,885 does of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in San Mateo County as of Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

    A total of 562,748 individuals have received at least one dose of vaccine. This represents 84.5 percent of the eligible population age 12 and older. A total of 484,810 individuals have completed the vaccination series.

    COVID-19 Case Counts
    Since the beginning of the pandemic, County Health has reported 42,284 cases of COVID-19 in San Mateo County as of Tuesday, June 15, 2021. The death toll stands at 581.

    The total for the seven days ending Tuesday is 63 cases. Earlier this year, during the post-holiday spike, case counts for individual days routinely topped 200.