SLO County residents 16 and older now eligible for COVID vaccines
San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials on Wednesday announced all residents 16 and older are now eligible to receive coronavirus vaccinations.
About 54,000 additional San Luis Obispo County residents will now be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, a county Public Health Department news release said.
“I am thrilled to announce that if you are 16 or older and live in SLO County, you are now able to sign up to get this safe and very effective vaccine,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, county health officer, in the release. “This is a milestone we have been looking to for the past year and I encourage everyone in our community – including those who have been eligible for some time – to take this opportunity, get the vaccine, and help put this pandemic behind us.”
The county will administer 9,000 first doses of the coronavirus vaccine next week at its three vaccination clinics in San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande and Paso Robles.
Eligible residents under 18 will only be able to receive the Pfizer vaccine, as it’s the only shot currently FDA-approved for minors, the news release said.
Sixteen- and 17-year-old vaccine recipients will also need a parent or guardian to accompany them to their appointments.
County-administered vaccines are free, and residents can sign up for the appoint lottery at recoverslo.org.
Some pharmacies that get their vaccine allocations from the federal government, not the county, may not offer shots to newly-eligible residents right away, the release said. Vaccine seekers should check with their pharmacies to make sure they’re eligible and to learn about any possible fees.
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 Wednesday, the county Public Health Department is administering coronavirus vaccines to health care workers; long-term care facility residents and employees; education workers; childcare workers; food service workers; emergency services workers and people age 16 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.
This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 3:38 PM.
