San Mateo County Fair To Hold COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic, Offer Free Admission To Those Receiving Shots
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) – Along with rides, games and food, the San Mateo County Fair will offer COVID-19 vaccines, free admission and other incentives to those who have yet to receive their shots.
The fair being held at the San Mateo Event Center will offer the two-dose Pfizer and one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines during the entire event, which runs from June 5-6 and June 9-13 to patrons 12 and older.
Vaccines will be administered just outside the main entrance each day from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., fair organizers said. No appointment is necessary.
Patrons who receive their vaccine at the fair will receive free admission for themselves and anyone under 11 in the same household. Vaccine recipients will also receive a $20 food voucher and four free carnival ride tickets.
"By offering the opportunity to get vaccines at the fair, we want to encourage the entire community to get vaccinated so we can all safely enjoy the fair for years to come," said Justin Aquino, the fair's operations manager.
According to the San Mateo County Public Health Department, more than 81% of residents 12 and older, about 543,000 people, have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Wednesday. More than 442,300 county residents are fully vaccinated.
While last year's fair was canceled, the San Mateo Event Center has played a crucial role during the pandemic, by serving as a temporary overflow hospital site, a COVID-19 testing site and as a mass vaccination site. More than 90,000 people have been inoculated at the Event Center, officials said.
The fair, which has been billed as the largest fair to take place in California since the start of the pandemic, previously expanded the number of available tickets after the county entered the least-restrictive Yellow Tier.
Masks will be required at the event.