Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360].
With the increased federal supply of COVID-19 vaccine, San Mateo County will be adding weekly mass vaccination clinics for anyone who lives or works in the area beginning this Thursday, April 29.
The first of the mass vaccination sites will be located at the San Mateo County Event Center, which, along with ongoing smaller-scale, community-focused clinics in targeted neighborhoods, will help increase the county's inoculation rates.
"We believe we will have enough vaccine for everyone who wants it, and we hope that's everyone in this county. The reopening of our mass vaccination site this week and continuing to provide doses to our community clinics in our most vulnerable neighborhoods means we can get more vaccine into more arms," said County Administrator Mike Callagy.
The official detailed that the more vaccines that can be obtained, "the safer this county will become and the sooner we can move on to our new life after COVID-19."
Through a statement, the county detailed that it plans to operate two to three weekly mass vaccination events in the future, depending on supply, with the Event Center site capable of administering approximately 4,000 doses per day.
Appointments for first dose clinics are open to anyone 16 years of age or older for Pfizer or 18 years of age or older for Moderna or J&J.
Participants must live or work in San Mateo County and must schedule appointments up to three days in advance, while residents under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Clinics for the Event Center will be by car only and can be signed up for appointments through the myturn.ca.gov website.
Through the San Mateo Medical Center, the Health Department has begun receiving approximately 10,000 doses per week through a federal program of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Those doses, the county said, will be used by the Medical Center, in mass vaccination efforts and to continue to target homeless populations, farm workers and residents in communities where vaccination rates have been lower than average.
Community first and second dose clinics will continue in North Fair Oaks, East Palo Alto, San Mateo, Daly City, El Granada and Half Moon Bay, officials said.
It should be noted that, this week, the San Mateo Health Department will also resume use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following instructions from federal and state agencies over concerns about potential clotting problems.
This comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave the green light last Friday to use Janssen's vaccine, an action that was also backed by Bay Area health officials.
In view of this, authorities specified that when clinics are scheduled and appointments are offered, it will be made clear which vaccine is available - Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson - and during a vaccination clinic, participants will be informed which immunization is being administered.
In the event that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is offered, residents will be informed that it is their choice to receive it and that they can choose other vaccines at other clinics and times, including by other vaccinators.
As of April 26, 444,776 residents, meaning approximately 69.4 percent of the county's total eligible adult population, have been vaccinated, according to the California Immunization Registry.
