COVID Vaccines: San Mateo County Reaches 1 Million Shots On Eve Of Full Reopening
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) – Health officials in San Mateo County announced that 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, as Californians prepare for Tuesday's full reopening of the economy.
According to county officials, 1,002,566 doses have been administered as of Sunday. More than 84% of county residents 12 and older, or 560,520 people, have received at least one vaccine dose, while more than 477,500 people are fully vaccinated.
Other Bay Area counties that have administered at least 1 million shots include Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco, according to the state's vaccine dashboard.
"The residents of San Mateo County and California have done a tremendous job doing their parts to get vaccinated as total shots in the arm now total over 1 million in the county and 40 million in the state," San Mateo County Board of Supervisors president David Canepa said in a statement.
"June 15 is the day that everyday life returns to normal and that is cause to celebrate. It's time we can ditch these damn masks in most settings," Canepa went on to say.
The hopeful tone is a far cry from the early days of the pandemic, where officials issued dire warnings to residents who flouted COVID-19 guidelines.
Under the new rules going into effect on Tuesday, most capacity, social distancing and mask restrictions are lifted.
Masks will continue to be required on public transit, inside schools and child care facilities, health care facilities, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and cooling centers. Individual businesses, public agencies and other organizations can still require face coverings.
San Mateo County officials said members of the public entering county offices or interacting with county officials would still need a mask, along with county employees, per Cal/OSHA guidelines.
County Manager Mike Callagy cited the fact that not everyone has been able to receive the vaccine, including children under 12. "We still need to protect these individuals so, if you are asked, please wear your face mask," Callagy said.
Since the start of the pandemic, at least 42,214 people in San Mateo County had been infected and 581 people have died from COVID-19.
