County apologizes for COVID-19 data error

For months, it vastly undercounted cases in majority Latino community North Fair Oaks

North Fair Oaks residents demanded and received an apology Thursday from a San Mateo County supervisor and the county’s health department after this news organization reported that an error in publicly reported data for months dramatically undercounted the number of COVID-19 cases in the majority Latino community.

In a letter sent to the Board of Supervisors on Thursday, residents also called for a change in how the community’s council is managed by the county, as well as more investment in North Fair Oaks and other unincorporated communities, and for a memo to be sent to all county employees “emphasizing that all communities need to be treated equally, with utmost respect, consideration and quality of service.”

“We want to clarify that, while some (San Mateo) County representatives keep confusing the patience and the resilience of NFO residents with ignorance and lack of interest, the decades of neglect that this community has endured are a heavy burden and a problem difficult to solve without the support and the understanding of our elected officials,” said the letter, signed by the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance, members of the North Fair Oaks Community Council, the Colectivo Cultural de North Fair Oaks and other organizations.

It comes after reporting from this news organization this month about how San Mateo County Health had for months reported only 10 cases in the community of about 15,000 people until questions from residents prompted a correction in November — the community actually had 551 cases. North Fair Oaks has 1,688 cases as of Thursday, making it one of the hardesthit communities in the county, with almost double the case rate of Redwood City and four times the rate of neighboring Atherton.

In an earlier interview with this news organization, San Mateo County Health Deputy Chief Srija Srinivasan said the error was caused by the geocoding

methodology the county used for public-facing data, and health officials were aware of the real North Fair Oaks case numbers all along and therefore there was minimal impact to the health department’s COVID-19 response.

Supervisor Warren Slocum, whose district includes North Fair Oaks, said in an interview at the time that the impact of the error depended on how many people were paying attention to the county’s COVID-19 data dashboard. “Well, some are, but I don’t know that people in North Fair Oaks are looking,” Slocum said in a November interview with this news organization.

Those responses angered some residents who said officials didn’t acknowledge the damage done by the incorrect data.

“We understand that many times things fall through the cracks and errors are made and acknowledging those would’ve been fine,” said Everardo Rodriguez, president of the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance. “But just by trying to minimize what has happened, particularly for people who have lost relatives, friends, jobs, opportunities, housing, etc., it’s just not right.”

Slocum did not respond to a request for comment Thursday but in a statement said he appreciated residents who had reached out about the data error and the news stories about his response.

“I deeply apologize if my earlier comments regarding the implications of COVID-19 data reporting in North Fair Oaks hurt those in that community and anyone who has lost loved ones or their livelihood due to this devastating pandemic,” he said in the emailed statement. “So let me be clear to the residents of North Fair Oaks — you are heard, you have always been important and your safety and well-being remain a priority.”

San Mateo County Health likewise in a statement thanked community leaders and residents for the letter, adding that the county remains committed to protecting North Fair Oaks.

“We regret that the data on the dashboard fed misunderstanding about the impact of COVID-19 on the North Fair Oaks community, as well as the perception that we public health officials were insensitive to or sought to minimize the very real pain the community continues to experience,” the department said.

Among the changes requested by the community groups in the letter is greater access to vaccination clinics for unincorporated areas, immigrant neighborhoods and other communities of color “through trusted health advocates and partners.” Nearly three-quarters of Atherton residents 16 and older have been vaccinated, compared with 30% of North Fair Oaks residents and 23% of East Palo Alto residents, according to data from the county health department.