Redwood City – As peak winter travel season approaches, San Mateo County Health officials continue to urge vaccination as the best protection against the worst effects of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death.
To date in San Mateo County, over 165,000 residents are considered up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines. This means they have received the latest shot, which became available in September and is formulated to be effective against the more recent variants of the disease.
With 21.3 percent of the county population up to date, San Mateo County’s percentage is more than double that of the state (10.1 percent). While the percentage of up-to-date residents in San Mateo County is among the highest in California, vaccination rates are much lower this year than in previous years, locally and nationally, and the up-to-date percentages for some demographic groups in the county are low.
|
Population |
Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccination |
|
American Indian and Alaska Native |
26.6% |
|
Asian American |
22.8% |
|
Black |
14.8% |
|
Latino |
8.0% |
|
Multi-Race |
7.0% |
|
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander |
9.1% |
|
White |
25.4% |
|
Other Race |
unknown |
To provide convenient vaccination opportunities close to home, County Health’s Immunization Program has partnered with local health care providers to provide free community-based clinics offering COVID vaccines to uninsured and underinsured residents in neighborhoods with lower scores in the Healthy Places Index. To date, these partners have completed over 40 clinics across the county – in Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo, Half Moon Bay, Redwood City and East Palo Alto.
San Mateo Medical Center, which serves over 60,000 publicly insured residents, has provided COVID vaccination in its outpatient clinics in San Mateo, Daly City, North Fair Oaks, Half Moon Bay and other locations, and teams from Street and Field Medicine have offered shots to individuals experiencing homelessness. Vaccination has also been offered at the County’s Navigation Center.
“We’ve accomplished a lot, but there is still work to do,” said Lizelle Lirio de Luna, director of Family Health Services, which runs the Immunization Program. “While the overall uptake of the newest COVID vaccine has been weaker in San Mateo County and elsewhere than in years past, we still urge everyone who is eligible to get the shot. It’s the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family.”
COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, in San Mateo County and throughout the region. Residents should contact their primary health care provider, pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens, or check vaccines.gov for the nearest location.
Many pharmacies offer free COVID-19 to residents without insurance – call or check pharmacy websites to learn more. Residents without health coverage may also contact County Health at 650-573-2877 or email SMCHealth_IZ@smcgov.org to learn how to access vaccines at no cost.
Preston Merchant
Communications Officer
San Mateo County Health
650-867-1661
press@smchealth.org