126,651 COVID shots have been given in SLO County. Here’s who has – and hasn’t – gotten one
Thousands of San Luis Obispo County residents have gotten their coronavirus vaccines — but distribution has been unequal among those of different races and ethnic groups, and many elderly people still have yet to receive even their first shots.
As of Sunday, the SLO County Public Health Department, pharmacies and other healthcare providers have administered 125,651 vaccine doses, according to the California Department of Public Health.
As of March 26, County Public Health has distributed 90,775 shots, including 56,584 first doses and 34,171 second doses, according to RecoverSLO.org.
The county has received 95,775 doses of vaccine overall.
Most SLO County COVID vaccines have gone to white residents
Most SLO County vaccine recipients are white, even though Latino residents have tested positive for COVID-19 at more than double the rate of any other racial or ethnic group, state data shows.
About 31% of coronavirus shots have gone to white residents, while just 7% have gone to Latino residents. More than 11% of vaccines have gone to multi-racial residents, and about 15% of shots have gone to people listed as “other.”
More than 34% of vaccine recipients are of an unknown race or ethnicity. This may be because screening forms didn’t ask about vaccine recipients’ race or ethnicity until mid-January, and people can still decline to answer the question, said Michelle Shoresman, a county Public Health spokeswoman.
Shoresman said the county is employing multiple strategies to improve vaccination rates among Latino residents.
She said part of the reason the county Public Health Department switched its online sign-up system to a lottery set-up “is because we wanted the system to be more accessible to people who work or don’t have ready internet access.”
Public Health is starting to offer some appointments later in the day and has begun holding vaccine clinics specifically for farmworkers. A newly hired health equity program manager “is also focused on continuing to expand our work to connect Latinx residents with vaccine,” Shoresman said in an email.
“We are specifically working with community partners to identify and dispel rumors and vaccine misinformation in the Spanish-speaking community,” she said. “We are also working with partners, including the Promotores, to assist residents in signing up for vaccine appointments and helping with supports like arranging transportation to a vaccine site if needed.”
COVID vaccines by age
Unsurprisingly, most of the county’s coronavirus vaccines have gone to older residents, who’ve been eligible for vaccines since February.
More than 53% of residents who’ve received coronavirus vaccinations are 65 or older, state vaccine data shows. About 27% of vaccine recipients are 18 to 49, many of whom are likely medically fragile or work in industries that recently became eligible for shots.
More than 19% of those who’ve gotten vaccines are 50 to 64, an age group that became eligible only last week.
However, Dr. Penny Borenstein, Public Health officer, recently said there are still many residents in long-eligible groups who have yet to get even their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Even among the highest-risk individuals, for whom we opened the vaccine process early on, age 75 and over ... only 55% of that group has yet been vaccinated, and this is partially or fully vaccinated,” Borenstein said at a March 24 news conference.
Only 51% of all residents age 65 to 74 in SLO County have gotten their vaccines, she said.
Borenstein said she wants to see at least 80% of residents in all age groups get vaccinated, and it’s getting easier to secure appointments as the county receives more doses.
“I know people early on felt like it was a no-win situation trying to get an appointment,” she said. “We’re not in that same place anymore. We have the means to accommodate most people who are interested in getting a dose.”
Where to get a COVID-19 test and schedule a vaccine appointment
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is urging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, or those who have come into contact with someone with the virus, to get tested.
Free coronavirus testing is available at clinics throughout San Luis Obispo County. To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
As of Tuesday, the county Public Health Department is administering coronavirus vaccines to healthcare workers; long-term care facility residents and employees; education workers; childcare workers; food service workers; emergency services workers and people age 50 and up, by appointment only. Some education workers are also eligible for vaccinations through their places of employment.
Those eligible to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can register online or by phone for San Luis Obispo County’s vaccine appointment lottery.
To register for the lottery, go to www.RecoverSLO.org/VaccineAppointments and complete the registration form. Those without internet access or who have difficulty with the online form can call 805-543-2444 or 805-781-4280 and an operator can help them.
To sign up for email alerts, visit EmergencySLO.org/en/newsletter.aspx.
In addition to San Luis Obispo County’s vaccine appointment lottery, appointments for coronavirus vaccines can be made through Dignity Health, Tenet Health Central Coast and chain pharmacies including CVS and Vons. Visit vaccinefinder.org to check on vaccine availability at pharmacies near you.
This story was originally published March 30, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
