BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
In preparation for a potential surge of COVID-19 patients, San Mateo County is working with the National Guard turn the the county’s event center in San Mateo into a temporary hospital.
The center will have 250 beds for patients in case the county’s hospitals are overtaken with COVID-19 patients. However, County Manager Mike Callagy said that right now, there are open beds in the county’s hospitals.
“This allows the county to be ready if, and when, more medical treatment space is required,” Callagy said during a media briefing today.
Similarly, Santa Clara County has converted the Santa Clara Events Center into a temporary 250-bed hospital for patients to handle the overflow from the county’s hospitals. The plan is to keep COVID-19 patients in the regular hospitals and put non-COVID-19 patients in the events center.
In San Mateo County, Callagy said he hopes the county never has to use the event center facility, but added that the county needs to be prepared for a surge of COVID-19 patients.
“We need to prepare now so that we can be ready to care for our friends, neighbors and loved ones when they need it most,” Callagy said.
Callagy also mentioned that the county is trying to make sure it has enough, and correct numbers, to do modeling to see how many more cases to expect.
The National Guard is helping the county until tomorrow to set up the event center, which will be comprised of cots and needed medical equipment to treat patients.
The county also has at least one hotel reserved for COVID-19 patients who no longer need treatment in a hospital, but may need somewhere other than home to recuperate. The hospitals are also being used for first responders who are too tired to drive home after their shifts.
The county is still asking for donations of personal protective equipment such as disposable gloves, N95 respirators and surgical masks, hand sanitizer, protective goggles and containers of disinfectant and disinfecting wipes.
Those wishing to donate these items to the county can drop them off at the county jail between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 1300 Maple St. in Redwood City.
