Christian Carlos. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Today, the San Mateo County Health Department issued a vaccination plan for COVID-19 after the arrival of 5,820 initial doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's new coronavirus vaccine, SARS-CoV-2, was confirmed.
Five to six more doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine are expected to arrive soon.
According to the California Department of Public Health's manual, it is established that
San Mateo County has created a Planning Group that includes the Emergency Medical Services division, the Family Health Services division where the County's Immunization Program is located, the Public Health Policy and Planning division, Health Communications, and the County Health Department (DOC) Operations Center. The document states that this group is ready for COVID-19 vaccination.
The vaccine will be provided to first-line medical personnel, who are the ones who directly treat patients who are sick with the new coronavirus, which also includes paramedics and first-aid personnel; that is, a population of about 38 thousand people.
Then to residents of long-term care facilities; about 8,000 in San Mateo County.
In addition, it is noted that equitable distribution is a key priority in the immunization schedule for San Mateo and for the state of California. It explains that this distribution in the application of the initial doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, is directed to people with greater risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or their level of vulnerability, whether they are paid or unpaid, as reported by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices -ACIP.
This first phase includes cleaning staff, patient transport staff, administrative staff and any other sector of the population that may fall into the category of workers in the front line of exposure to COVID-19.
It notes that the San Mateo County Health Department will coordinate the distribution of the vaccine because of its storage complexity and says the department "has partnered with hospitals, clinics and care facilities throughout the county to make sure they are in a position to administer the vaccine to their staff.
In the event that, for whatever reason, qualified personnel are not available to administer the vaccine, this partnership will serve as a substitute for this work. Kaiser, Sutter, and the Department of Veterans Affairs will receive the vaccine directly from providers.
It is important to note that after the initial dose of COVID-19 vaccine is completed for frontline workers, more detailed information on vaccine distribution for the rest of the population will be provided, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health.
In addition, the San Mateo County Health Department is expected to collect quantitative information on: the number of doses distributed; as well as the number of people receiving the vaccine by group, ensuring that key groups are not left out; the number of unused or discarded doses; and the number of clinics administering the vaccine in large quantities.
