Good morning, Redwood City!
Hoping to grab your COVID-19 booster? Here's what you need to know:
According to San Mateo County, residents are now required to schedule an appointment for vaccinations, as a result of increased demand for booster shots. Walk-ups will be turned away, and appointments are available through the state vaccination registration site.
By this point you've probably heard that the United States' first case of omicron, the new COVID-19 variant, was just reported—in San Francisco. The patient, who had just returned from South Africa, was fully vaccinated and is experiencing only mild symptoms.
Of course, the rest of the Bay Area is now on high alert, waiting to see if the variant spreads. In the meantime, officials from San Mateo County Health and Kaiser have reiterated that vaccines and continued use of masks are the best prevention against COVID-19 and its variants.
"We don't know about the transmissibility or the severity of the omicron variant," said Preston Merchant, Communications Officer for the San Mateo County Health Department. "We expect to have more information from the CDC and other state and federal bodies in the coming days and weeks." More on that here.
And don't forget—today's the official preview of the Redwood City Public Library's new Makerspace. Stop by the rear parking lot of the library at 6 p.m. to check out the demonstrations, exhibits and, yes, a three-story Tesla coil.
Happy fifth night of Hanukkah!
Signing off,
Leah
Photo of the Day Caption: Inspirational art along the train tracks. Photo by Leah Worthington.
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