Health Orders & Updates

We see our community’s collective determination reflected in the high reach of the COVID-19 vaccine, the many pathways being accessed for third-shot Pfizer boosters, and the COVID-19 case rate, hospitalization and positivity trends trending downward.

We are so grateful for all the ways our residents continue to further this progress and stay engaged about changes to our situation.

Patience, perseverance, and partnership fuel our progress as 93.2% (626,684) of residents over the age of 12 have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and we see promising signs of continued reduction in the prevalence of the virus in San Mateo County and in our region. 

As September arrives, we are glad to see each week bringing continued progress in reaching San Mateo County residents with first and second doses, while we and other health care and pharmacy partners are also planning to offer third booster doses for those who become eligible by the third week of September. 

I write this week mindful that for some of you these updates are not always welcome, given how inundated we all are with information about the pandemic and given how weary we are of the personal and professional challenges brought by each twist in the curvy road of this journey. 

We have joined with the Bay Area counties and Dr. Morrow has issued an order, which takes effect tonight after midnight, mandating all individuals to wear face coverings when indoors in workplaces and public settings.

As you have heard, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), California Department of Public Health, and the Bay Area Health Officers were already recommending face coverings when indoors.

I write with news of our continued progress as our overall vaccination rate for San Mateo County as of 6/30/21 was 86.6% (576,674 people compared to our estimated population of 666,252 ages 12+ ), which is among the highest in the state.

I write with the continued good news that all the numbers we use to measure our experience of the pandemic in San Mateo County are headed in the right directions.

Positivity for the virus has decreased to .3% countywide and .7% in our lowest quartile Healthy Places Index census tracts, the lowest gap we have had to date, and there were only 8 residents in the hospital yesterday as a result of the virus. We still experience a daily stream of positive cases (528 in the last 30 days), but the vaccine rollout has dramatically reduced the grave experience of the illness. 

As we begin the month of May, following four months of hard work by so many to make the COVID-19 vaccine available to every eligible resident, we are now in the long-anticipated phase of having enough supply of vaccine to make access easier and more predictable. 

With everyone age 16+ now eligible to be vaccinated in San Mateo County, we are excited to be able to connect residents to all available pathways in and around where they live, work or study. 

My update this week comes at a time when we are nearing almost everyone in San Mateo County being eligible to be vaccinated – coming April 15th – as we also reach a milestone of half of our residents age 16+ receiving at least a first dose.  

Our work to reach every eligible San Mateo County resident with the COVID-19 vaccine continues with a deepening focus on our most vulnerable communities with several very targeted efforts this week.

We also seeing more and more residents complete their full vaccination course, having passed the 52% mark of those who have received two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one of Janssen.

I write with gratitude for the hopefulness that our vaccine rollout is enabling for so many of our older adult and essential worker residents, while also acknowledging the significant work that remains to assure equity in the reach of the vaccine.

I haven’t updated this statement in a while because I have said most of what I know and I have given recommendations about what you need to do multiple times. Please read or reread my previous statements on this site to get a better understanding of where we find ourselves today and the actions you can take to protect yourselves and your family. 

Please read or reread my previous statements below to get a better understanding of where we find ourselves today and actions you can take to protect yourselves and your family.  

Please read or reread my statements below from 3/16/20, 3/10/20, 3/5/20, and 2/27/20 to get a better understanding of where we find ourselves today.

Please read or reread my statements below from 3/10/20, 3/5/20, and 2/27/20 to get a better understanding of where we find ourselves today. Over the last few days, I’ve instituted a number of aggressive measures to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.  I have done so because time is of the essence and the types of measures implemented matter.  I have implemented these measures to prevent the collapse of our healthcare system and to reduce death of our loved ones from COVID-19.

This is a difficult message to share, but it is important to recognize how difficult the times ahead may be and how you must now take assertive action to prepare for them. Our local situation surrounding novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing rapidly. COVID-19 is spreading in our community, the extent of which is unclear. It has likely been spreading for weeks, perhaps months. I have no reason to believe that how it’s spreading in other countries won’t be replicated to some degree here. We now all need to take assertive actions to inhibit the spread of this new virus.