The COVID-19 situation in San Mateo County continues to improve. Case rates have decreased by 96 percent since the peak in early January.
There are 10 cases per 100,000 people in the county this week, down from 16 cases per 100,000 a week ago, according to state data. Deaths and hospitalizations are also declining.
Thus, on March 15, the COVID testing service at the San Mateo Events Center will close its drive-thru testing operations.
This was announced by San Mateo County Health Director Louise Rogers, who reported the closure of the Center's operations to the County Board of Supervisors, where she thanked the center's staff for their support.
"We simply could not have mobilized at the level we did without their support," Rogers said.
It is worth noting that testing will continue at other sites in the county, and rapid antigen test kits are available at pharmacies.
Rogers added that the county does not hear back from the results of at-home rapid antigen tests, meaning they cannot trace likely contacts.
This is one reason the county has pulled back on its universal contact tracing efforts to focus on investigating outbreaks in high-risk settings, such as shelters, jails or congregate care facilities.
The rise in Omicron has also made it difficult to continue universal contact tracing, according to Srija Srinivasan, deputy health director for San Mateo County.
“In this Omicron surge, when the duration of transmission was so short, one to three days, then it is more difficult to apply a tool like contact tracing that relies on the lab result getting to public health (and) the public health staff member getting to the resident,” Srinivasan explained.
He also said that contact tracing was more important before vaccines were widely available.
As of Sunday, 89 percent of county residents had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.
Dr. Anand Chabra, the county's vaccination section chief, said the county will continue to provide predictable vaccination clinics, despite seeing a decline in vaccinations at its sites.
“Our message that it is not too late to get vaccinated and receive a booster shot remains relevant as vaccination is the single most important action all eligible residents can take to protect themselves from the risks of serious illness or death,” Chabra said.
For more information on COVID vaccines, testing and more, interested parties can access the website https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus.
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