SLO County to start vaccinating people 30 and older for COVID
San Luis Obispo County residents are now eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine.
County Public Health Department officials said Wednesday that the new age eligibility guidelines will allow about 60,000 more community members to sign up for coronavirus vaccine appointments.
Pharmacies such as Costco, CVS, and Rite Aid that get COVID-19 vaccine allocations from the federal government might not offer vaccines to this group right away, county health officials said.
However, anyone in the county’s vaccination registry will be on the list to get a vaccine appointment at one of the county’s three mass vaccination clinics in Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo or Paso Robles.
“We are pleased to be able to open up the registry to this new group and hope to be able to schedule appointments to more people,” Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer, said in a news release. “However, we recognize that some people are at more risk than others, and we will continue to make sure those at highest risk are next in line for appointments at our sites. It may take one to three weeks to get an appointment through our registry, but it’s worth the wait.”
The county Public Health Department has “enough vaccine supply to administer about 10,000 first doses next week at one of three mass vaccination clinics,” the release said.
Those who sign up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments will typically have to wait a week or two before getting their first doses, though some in the newly eligible group may get an appointment as soon as next week.
“Previously eligible individuals are still encouraged to register for the vaccine,” county health officials said in the release. “This includes community members age 50 and older, workers in healthcare, education and childcare, food and agriculture, and emergency services, and anyone 16 or older with certain high-risk medical conditions or disabilities.”
Eligible individuals can also check with local pharmacies and other providers who are now offering vaccines in San Luis Obispo County.
“For anyone who is newly eligible, the best way to get the vaccine in SLO County is to sign up for our vaccine appointment registry online or by phone,” Borenstein said.
Where to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
As of Wednesday, the San Luis Obispo 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 30 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 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 some pharmacies.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 11:09 AM.
%20Cropped.jpg)