As temperatures drop and holiday travel revs up, health honchos in San Mateo County are issuing a rallying cry for residents to arm themselves against COVID-19 with the latest vax shots. The county is boasting more than double the state's rate with 21.3% of its population up to snuff on their jab regimen, San Mateo County officials confirmed.
Over 165,000 locals have rolled up their sleeves for the newest vaccine which dropped in September, aiming to square up against the latest COVID-19 variants that have popped up. Despite San Mateo swinging above the state average, which hovers around a measly 10.1%, the uptake has seen better days, with numbers trailing behind previous years.
Digging deeper into the stats, disparities are stark among different communities. According to data from San Mateo County Health, the American Indian and Alaska Native community leads with a 26.6% vaccination rate, while the Latino population lags at 8.0%. Meanwhile, only 14.8% of the Black community and a concerning 7.0% of those identifying as Multi-Race are considered up to date on their shots.
Not one to sit on the sidelines, County Health's Immunization Program has joined forces with local health care providers, dishing out free vaccines via community-based clinics in neighborhoods that don't score too high on the Healthy Places Index. Running the gamut, teams from Street and Field Medicine have also been hustling to offer shots to the homeless and at the County’s Navigation Center, data obtained by San Mateo County illustrates.
Lizelle Lirio de Luna, the big cheese at Family Health Services which heads up the Immunization Program, dropped a truth bomb saying, "We've accomplished a lot, but there is still work to do." In a candid interview, she pressed the importance of getting jabbed, claiming, "It’s the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family."
With vaccines in ample supply across the board, San Mateo residents should holler at their primary care providers or hit up local pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens or cruise over to vaccines.gov for the nearest vaccine hub. For the uninsured crowd, many pharmacies are giving out freebies – no strings attached. And if you're navigating the waters of healthcare sans coverage, dial up County Health at 650-573-2877 or fire off an email to [email protected] to learn the ropes on snagging a shot without coughing up a dime.
