Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
San Mateo health care workers lined up Saturday morning at the county's Event Center to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, part of a vaccination program against the virus that has infected more than 27,700 people.
This was the first in a series of vaccinations for Phase 1a health care providers who signed up in advance for the event, the San Mateo Health Department said.
Of note, the county is currently vaccinating according to the state's Phase 1 guidelines, with three categories of beneficiaries, which include health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
The California Department of Public Health defines health care workers as "persons at risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 through their work in any role in direct or long-term care settings".
This population includes people at direct risk of exposure in their non-clinical roles, such as environmental services, patient transport, or interpretation. It is estimated that there are about 38,000 health care workers in the county, while residents in long-term care facilities number about 12,000.
The San Mateo Health Department notes on its website that health care workers who are members of Kaiser Permanente "covered by plans" and fit into Tier 1, 2 or 3 of Stage 1 can get the vaccine by contacting their primary care provider at the medical center.
In December 2020, hundreds of first responders, paramedics and firefighters received the first of the necessary doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, as they are, among others, among the first to support people who are carriers of the virus and who may or may not have symptoms.
At the time, county Emergency Services Manager Linda Allintong said that for 10 months first responders had faced an environment where they had to be exposed to the virus, but now they have a tangible weapon to help fight the pandemic.
While the Event Center's branch manager, Matt Powers, said that while health-care workers have the option of not receiving the vaccine, "nearly 88 percent have opted out, suggesting that the benefits outweigh the risks.
"People who have received the first dose, whether it's from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna to boost immunity, would rather deal with the side effects because the vaccine is proving that it works and they'll be able to get on with their lives," he said.
