Update on COVID-19 vaccines and testing in San Mateo County
The Bay Area continues to receive only a small fraction of the vaccines needed to vaccinate residents aged 65 and older, much less the broader occupation-based groups the state has included in Phase 1B Tier 1, including educators, food and agricultural workers, and emergency services personnel.
Across the Bay Area, weekly dose allocations from the State of California – based on a formula designed to ensure fair distribution statewide – have slowed compared to shipments in December and early January. With the current pace of supply, it will take several weeks to offer a first dose to all older adults who would like to be vaccinated.
“The problem is that the supply is massively inadequate for the demand,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County’s health officer. “We all want to go faster, but until this supply issue is ameliorated, we won’t be able to.”
Limited vaccine supply is resulting in a widespread inability to make new appointments, and in some cases, can lead to cancellations of existing appointments. In addition, administering Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine requires a parallel effort to provide a second dose a few weeks after the first. The need for second doses limits the number of people who can be newly vaccinated each week.
For the latest information about vaccine distribution, please visit smchealth.org/covidvaccine.
Testing for COVID-19 is widely available across San Mateo County, including a newly opened dedicated site at the College of San Mateo.
The County of San Mateo offers no-cost testing for everyone who lives or works in San Mateo County – regardless of symptoms.
A drive-through testing site for adults and children now operates Sundays through Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the College of San Mateo in a parking lot across from 3401 CSM Drive, San Mateo, 94402.
County-sponsored testing at the College of San Mateo is in partnership with Logistics Health, Inc. (LHI), a subsidiary of OptumServe. Make an appointment.
Those who do not have internet access or require assistance with registration can call the LHI call center at (888) 634-1123 to make an appointment.
Note: appointments for children under 13 years old cannot be made online and must be made by calling the LHI call center. The test is no-cost to you but your insurance will be billed if available (please have your insurance information ready).
Kouther mokatrin February 04, 2021 at 7:13 am
SAN Mateo county is one of the most richest countries. It should had figured out how to get vaccines to 1B group . If San Mateo county wants to have less COVID 19 then the county needs to start giving 65 and older vaccine not only health care to be vaccinated. Vaccine should not set in the freezer vaccine should be in the arm of people.
Silvia Colombetti February 04, 2021 at 4:14 pm
I am looking at a place near Menlo Park to have my 95 year old mother vaccinated.
Please let me know what’s available. She’s with Kaiser but they don’t have any vaccines.
I have an appt at Stanford in March. If you anything sooner let me know.
Thanks
Silvia
Linda Hubbard February 04, 2021 at 6:18 pm
Your comment is posted on InMenlo. Please contact your mother’s health care provider to find out about vaccine availability.
B Sharon Sta;ey February 11, 2021 at 4:02 pm
Getting the 2nd doz of the vaccine is really a pain, got the sent an email from Sequoia Dinety
health by email only had less than a hour to sign up to go back to Expo in San Mateo for this weekend since first doz was on the 25th of January, but this new website through Carbon Health kept knocking us both out and would not even take our medicare numbers at all. Plus the person who sent the email, her voice mail is always full and does answer any of her emails either. Plus I have tried several times to get s supervisor to talk to either of us at the Hospital won’t give us any other person to talk with. Now we are both on a waiting list when the San Mateo county has opening for the both of us in 10 days.
The first doz was so easy since it came from the San Mateo Expo’s website and we got in so very fast.
We are not very happy with this income at All!