Christian Carlos. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Today, the San Mateo County Health Department issued a COVID-19 vaccination plan after confirming the arrival of 5,820 initial doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine against the new disease-causing SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Five to six times more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine are expected to arrive soon.
According to the California Department of Public Health 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 which includes the County's Immunization Program, the Public Health Policy and Planning division, Health Communications, and the County Department of Health (DOC) Operations Center. The document notes that this group is ready for the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccine will be provided to front-line medical personnel, who are those who directly treat patients sickened by the new coronavirus, including paramedics and first aid personnel; in other words, a population of approximately 38,000 people.
Then to residents of long-term care facilities; about 8,000 in San Mateo County.
In addition, it notes that equitable distribution is a key priority in the vaccination schedule for San Mateo and for the state of California. It explains that this distribution in the application of the initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine is targeted to persons at higher 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 janitorial staff, patient transport staff, administrative staff and any other sector of the population that may fall into the category of front-line workers exposed 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 notes that the department "has partnered with hospitals, clinics and care centers throughout the county to make sure they are in a position to be able to administer the vaccine to their staff."
In the event that, for any reason, qualified personnel are not available to administer the vaccine, this partnership will serve as a substitute. Kaiser, Sutter and the Department of Veterans Affairs will receive the vaccine directly from the 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 in accordance with 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; the number of people receiving the vaccine by groups, 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.
