By a unanimous vote, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors ended the COVID-19 state of emergency, aligning with the State of California, after Governor Gavin Newsom declared the end of the action that began on March 4, 2020.
“While today’s vote ends the emergency phase of the pandemic, it does not end the county’s ongoing and focused effort to combat COVID-19,” said Dave Pine, chairman of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
In that regard, the local official detailed that the county will continue to work closely with community and religious organizations to educate residents about residual risks, vaccination recommendations, and programs to cushion economic impacts.
The County activated its Emergency Operations Center on March 2, 2020, following the discovery of local cases of COVID-19. On March 10, 2020, the Board ratified a local health emergency by the San Mateo County Health Officer and a local emergency proclamation due to the growing pandemic.
The local emergency declaration allowed the county to act quickly to limit the spread of the disease through a series of public health orders.
The county was also able to build capacity in the health care system to treat the sick and protect the most vulnerable, and then shift focus to providing free vaccines, treatments and testing.
He also allocated local funds and federal aid packages to respond to the public health crisis and alleviate the economic consequences for employees and employers.
“This global event was tough on everyone, and while we didn’t come out unscathed, we did better than many other communities,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, county health officer. “This is thanks to you, the community, for your insightful, wise, and ‘concerned for your neighbor’ cooperation. And while this isn’t over yet, hopefully it will be a once-in-a-generation event.”
Today's vote ends the emergency phase of the pandemic, but not the ongoing effort to combat COVID-19.
The County will continue to work closely with community and faith-based organizations and additional partners to ensure that all residents, regardless of income, immigration status, or other potential barriers, are provided access to the County.
As for testing, County Health will continue to schedule local vaccination clinics for faith-based organizations and schools through March. At-home tests available at many stores and pharmacies are free or reimbursable for most people.
The federal government is offering free home testing kits to American households. For more information on when to get tested, visit the California COVID-19 website.
As for treatments, “medications to treat COVID-19 are free, widely available, and effective in preventing COVID-19 disease from getting worse,” according to the state.
Currently, the State of California provides information on: How to find treatment; data on the treatment of COVID-19; When to receive treatment; and more information on COVID-19 treatment.
If you are uninsured or the above options do not work, you can call 833-686-5051 to schedule a free phone or video appointment through California's COVID-19 telehealth service.
key figures
As of February 15, 2023, more than 730,000 county residents, or 94 percent of the population, have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Since the pandemic began, 749 people have died from COVID-19 in San Mateo County, according to state data.
Moving forward, County Health is retiring several COVID-19-related dashboards that focus primarily on case and testing data.
The state provides San Mateo County case and test positivity data, which will continue to inform residents about local trends in the progression of COVID-19.
The new dashboards will improve the visualization of hospitalization and death trends to better represent what can be understood about the level of disease severity over time in San Mateo County.
You may be interested in: State of Emergency for COVID ends in California
