SLO County opens COVID vaccines to people 75 and older. Here’s how to get yours
San Luis Obispo County residents ages 75 and older can begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, according to county Public Health Department officials.
Elderly residents are in the next phase of the county’s schedule “based on current vaccine supply and risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19,” according to a county Public Health news release.
Residents seeking vaccines had already booked up the first 4,000 appointments by mid-afternoon on Friday, the county Public Health Department reported in a tweet.
Remaining residents who fit the criteria must wait to sign up for the vaccine until the county receives more doses.
The county has been vaccinating residents in the first vaccine distribution tier, Phase 1A — which includes healthcare and community health workers and long-term care residents and staff — since December.
The vaccines given next week will be the first in Phase 1B, which will eventually include adults 65 and older, as well as some frontline critical infrastructure workers.
“We must allocate our limited vaccine supply based on who is most at risk for serious illness or death from COVID-19,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, county health officer, in a statement. “Here in SLO County, more than three quarters of the people who have died from COVID-19 were age 75 or older.
“They are more at risk of serious illness or death than other age groups. By allowing them to get vaccinated now, we are all helping to prevent the most serious outcomes.”
How many vaccine doses are available?
The county currently has enough supply to vaccinate only 4,000 residents next week, the news release said. There are more than 26,000 residents age 75 and older, which means the county won’t be able to vaccinate everyone who meets the age criteria, at first.
“Given the expected large demand, we ask that anyone eligible for vaccination who may have had COVID-19 in the past 90 days, or anyone that can safely continue to stay home without visitors, to please wait a little longer to sign up for an appointment,” Borenstein said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday anyone ages 65 and older should be included in Phase 1B. However, county Public Health officials are constrained by their supply of vaccine doses.
As of Wednesday, the county has received 17,600 vaccine doses — 10,275 of which are considered to be the first dose of the two-dose vaccination, according to a previous Tribune story. The remaining 7,325 doses must be allocated as second doses, although the contents of both doses are the same.
The county has continuously been administering vaccines to as many people as they have the capacity to vaccinate, said Michelle Shoresman, a county Public Health Department spokeswoman.
“We are only able to plan about a week in advance because that is how far in advance we are notified that we will receive more doses and approximately how many we will get,” Shoresman said in an email. “That said, we don’t always receive the amount we expect... sometimes more, and sometimes less.”
Where can I get my vaccine?
The county will initially give the vaccine at two clinics: one in Paso Robles and one in San Luis Obispo.
The Paso Robles Event Center, 2198 Riverside Ave., will host the Paso Robles clinic. The UC Cooperative Extension, 2156 Sierra Way, will host the San Luis Obispo clinic.
The county will also establish a South County site when additional vaccine doses arrive from the state.
The Paso Robles vaccination site, which opens on Monday, will take up to 400 appointments per day. The San Luis Obispo site will take up to 750 appointments per day to accommodate those requiring their second doses.
Once the county receives additional vaccine doses, Public Health officials hope to serve up to 1,000 people per day at each clinic.
How do I make an appointment?
The first 4,000 appointments have been taken as of mid-afternoon on Friday. To check back as more appointments become available, visit recoverslo.org/vaccineregistration or call 805-543-2444.
To sign up for notifications about newly-available appointments, visit emergencyslo.org/subscribe.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 9:54 AM.
