News briefs: Health Dept. distributes vaccine News briefs: Health Dept. distributes vaccine (November 10, 2004)

The San Mateo County Health Department will distribute 3,500 doses of flu vaccine to local physicians this week. Doctors are asked to vaccinate only their highest-risk patients.

In this first phase of distribution, the vaccine will go to physicians who ordered solely from Chiron Corp. The health department estimates the Chiron vaccine shortfall is at least 23,000 doses for hospitals, medical offices and long-term care facilities in San Mateo County.

There will be three flu vaccine distributions to local doctors. The second will begin November 15 after all the county's licensed long-term care facilities have received vaccine. The third is slated for early to mid-December.

For more information, go to www.smhealth.org/flu or call the San Mateo County flu hotline at 573-3927.

Woodside school board to discuss bond measure

Discussion of a school construction bond measure -- possibly in time for the November 2005 election -- is an item on the agenda of the next governing board meeting of the Woodside Elementary School District. The board will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 10, in the school library, located at 3195 Woodside Road.

Freeway gunshot death ruled a suicide

County officials are saying that suicide was the cause of death of Belmont stockbroker Michael Fields, 37, who was found in a crumpled black Mercedes Benz on an Interstate 280 embankment near Farm Hill Boulevard in Woodside on the morning of August 31.

An extensive investigation by the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol, the county Coroner's Office and the forensic lab determined that the severe wounds to the left side of Mr. Fields' head had been self-inflicted with a shotgun that he owned, said Sgt. Linda Gibbons of the Sheriff's Office.

Investigators found the shotgun on the freeway near the scene. Initial observations seemed to indicate that Mr. Fields had been murdered, Sgt. Gibbons said. Investigators determined that two large-caliber bullet holes in the passenger side of the car originated inside the car.

Suspect sought in sexual assault at Canada College

Deputies from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office are searching for a suspect in a sexual assault of a female student in a women's restroom early on the morning of November 1 on the campus of Canada College in Woodside.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his early 20s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 145 pounds, with hazel-colored eyes, a light complexion and a dark mustache. He was wearing a black knit cap, a red sweatshirt, black pants and black athletic shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Catherine Love at 877-7062 or Detective Sgt. Bryan Raffaelli at 877-7060.

SFO system assists landings in bad weather

A new landing system launched recently is expected to boost by as much as 25 percent the number of flights that arrive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) during bad weather without the need for special aircraft or equipment.

The system, called the Precision Runway Monitor/Simultaneous Offset Instrument Approach, was installed with a $20 million investment by SFO, and is a cooperative effort of the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Airline Pilots Association, the traffic controllers association and several airlines, according to an SFO spokesman.

Bad weather that reduces visibility typically closes one of the two runways used for landing, cutting the arrival rate in half -- from about 60 to 30 per hour, according to airport officials. The new system is expected to allow about 38 flights an hour to land during inclement weather, they said.

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