At least 90% of eligible population fully vaccinated in 2 Bay Area counties

DALY CITY, Calif. - More than 90% of eligible residents in two Bay Area counties are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

In Marin County, more than 97% have received at least one shot.

And in San Mateo County, nearly 94%.

A KTVU crew visited two businesses and a health clinic to see the push to get people vaccinated in San Mateo County.

Many said the high vaccination rates  are giving them optimism despite the delta variant. 

A clinic held at the Daly City Youth Health Center parking lot is making it easy for people to get their COVID vaccination: long hours from noon to 6 p.m. every Wednesday and drop-ins are welcomed.

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Convenience a factor for Nelson Escobar of San Bruno.  

He said, "A lot of people, they don't have time to make an appointment. I think it's good."

Escobar says this is his second shot, relieved that he's now fully vaccinated.

"I actually ended up catching COVID and ended up in the hospital," Tina Slater said she had been hesitant about getting vaccinated before she got sick in March.

She's scheduled to get her second shot in days.

SEE ALSO: California has lowest COVID case rate in the nation

She was at the clinic to get her 17 year old daughter and 13-year-old son vaccinated with their first shot.

She said she wants to protect her older relatives, "If they get sick, we could lose the elderly people because they see them every day."

According to the San Mateo County Health dashboard, 90.2% of its eligible residents are fully vaccinated and 93.6%  have gotten  at least one shot. 

"There's all sorts of cases all over the country but because we've vaccinated , we're not experiencing the difficulties that these other places are," said David Canepa, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, "We believe as a county, that in the next couple of months, we can get to 100% vaccinated." 

It's a goal that many businesses welcome.

At Daly City Market, a Latino grocery store, the owners say they require their employees to be vaccinated

And they're encouraging their customers to do the same. They said they've gotten some pushback, but the owners say the county's high vaccination rate will serve as encouragement.

"When you see your friends, your family , trusted people in your community who have all been vaccinated, it kind of  builds a sense of safety," says David Ibarra, owner of Daly City Market.  

At Sapore, an Italian restaurant, the owner says the county's high vaccination has attracted more customers to this area.

Elio Durzo said all his employees are vaccinated: "San Mateo County is an example for, I think, all the world." 

Canepa said the high vaccination rate is cause for celebration, but with winter coming, it's important to keep pushing vaccinations.