Who’s getting the COVID vaccine in SLO County — and who isn’t? Check out your ZIP code
Nearly half of all eligible San Luis Obispo County residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine — but many areas lag behind, and distribution to communities of color remains unequal, according to state data.
All residents age 16 and older are now eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines. Countywide, 49.5% of eligible residents have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot, the Public Health Department reported. This includes people who’ve received at least one dose of the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or who’ve received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Within that group, 32.4% percent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated and 17.2% are partially vaccinated, meaning they have yet to get their second shot in a two-dose series.
To reach herd immunity against COVID-19, the county wants 80% of people to get vaccinated.
The county has made the most progress in getting shots to elderly residents — about 67% of those 65 and older have now been fully vaccinated, state data shows.
Residents ages 18 to 49 — who have been eligible for a significantly shorter amount of time — have received far fewer vaccines. About 60% of people in that age group have yet to get even their first COVID-19 shot.
COVID-19 vaccines by ZIP code
Coronavirus vaccine distribution throughout the county varies greatly by ZIP code, according to state data.
Some ZIP codes show high levels of vaccine participation, while far fewer residents have gotten shots in other areas.
Avila Beach, by far, has the best vaccination rate in the county. One hundred percent of residents have received at least one vaccine dose, and about 75% are fully vaccinated.
About 66% of residents in the 93401 ZIP code area in San Luis Obispo — the side of town farthest from Cal Poly — have received at least one shot. More than 62% of Cambria residents have also started the vaccination process, and 47.5% are fully vaccinated.
More than 50% of people in a handful of ZIP code areas have also received at least one vaccine dose, including Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Cayucos, Morro Bay and Templeton.
North County lags in vaccine distribution
Many of the communities with vaccination rates under 50% are in the North County or more remote locations. Some of these ZIP code areas have bigger populations of residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino and may face barriers to getting vaccinated.
About 29.5% of eligible residents in the 93405 ZIP code area in San Luis Obispo have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot — one of the lowest percentages in the county. Cal Poly’s campus is on this side of town, and the median age of residents is 21.8. This means many people have likely been eligible for vaccines for less than a month and may not have gotten a chance to obtain a shot yet.
Templeton is the only North County ZIP code area where more than half of all eligible residents have received at least one vaccine dose. About 42% of Paso Robles and Santa Margarita/Pozo residents and about 43% of Atascadero residents have started the vaccination process.
“North County may have lower vaccination rates because not only do they have a higher proportion of lower income, Latinx and farmworker populations, they also have more Republicans (especially white, male Republicans) who have been shown through national and state surveys to have less trust and interest in getting the vaccine for a variety of reasons,” said Michelle Shoresman, county Public Health spokeswoman, in an email. “That’s why we’ve put effort into sharing Vaccine Champions who represent demographics whose vaccine uptake has been slower.”
Latino residents still vaccinated at lower rates
San Miguel and Shandon in the North County, San Simeon on the North Coast and Oceano in the South County all have large Latino populations and lower vaccination rates.
About 47% of San Miguel residents are Latinos, as well as 58% of Shandon residents, 46% of Oceano residents and 66% of San Simeon residents.
Of those, Oceano has the largest number of eligible residents who’ve gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine with 46%. About 37% of San Miguel residents have gotten at least one shot, as have about 32% of Shandon residents and 43% of San Simeon residents.
SLO County’s Latino residents have been far more likely to contract COVID-19, but a disproportionate number of vaccines have gone to white residents.
About 31% of Latino residents have received at least one vaccine dose versus about 45% of white residents, state data shows.
Latino residents who primarily speak Spanish or indigenous languages and work in industries like agriculture have gotten sick with COVID-19 at high rates but have struggled to access vaccines. This inequity is largely due to language barriers, work schedules, vaccine misinformation and undocumented residents’ fear of accessing government services.
To improve vaccination rates among that population, the county has been holding vaccine clinics for agriculture and hospitality workers and is still trying to reach people through different distribution venues, Shoresman said.
Community organizations like the Promotores Collaborative of SLO County and Mujeres de Acción have also been sharing vaccine information in-person and on social media.
“We are now beginning to conduct mobile clinics in the outer regions of the county and at locations where some of these at-risk populations already receive services,” Shoresman said in an email. “The goal here is to make (the) vaccine more available to those who still need it and have trouble getting to our established clinics. (Community Health Centers of the Central Coast) is also a key partner in this effort, as they are doing quite a bit of mobile outreach as well.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
