In a unanimous vote, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors ended the state of emergency for COVID-19, siding with the state of California, after Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed an end to the action that began on March 4 of 2020.
"While today's vote ends the emergency phase of the pandemic, it does not end the county's continued and focused effort to combat COVID-19," said Dave Pine, San County Board of Supervisors Chairman. Matthew.
In that sense, the local official explained 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 the focus to providing free vaccines, treatments and tests.
In turn, it 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 emerge unscathed, we did better than many other communities," said County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow. “This is thanks to you, the community, for your insightful, wise, and ?caring for your fellowman? cooperation. And while this isn't over yet, hopefully it will be a once in many generations 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 barrier.
Regarding testing, County Health will continue to schedule local immunization clinics for faith-based organizations and schools through March. Home tests available at many stores and pharmacies are free or reimbursable for most people.
The federal government offers free home test kits to American households. For more information on when to get tested, visit the California COVID-19 website.
As for treatments, "medicines to treat COVID-19 are free, widely available, and effective in preventing the severity of COVID-19 disease," 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 about the treatment of COVID-19.
If you do not have insurance or the above options do not work, you can call 833-686-5051 to make 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.
Going forward, County Health is retiring several COVID-19 related dashboards that are primarily focused on case and testing data.
The state provides San Mateo County test and case positivity data, which will continue to inform residents of 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.
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