A third of Santa Barbara County residents are vaccinated against COVID. Who’s getting shots?

A third of Santa Barbara County residents — about 155,000 people — are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and thousands more are scheduled to get their shots each week.

The county data dashboard shows vaccinations over time by age group, and the early emphasis on vaccinating older adults.

High numbers typically were reported in the month after each group became eligible for the shots.

The under-50 population, the last to become eligible, in early April, is the group getting the most doses right now.

Health care workers and emergency medical workers were the first ones to be eligible, in mid-December, followed by people older than age 75 and people older than age 65. Most people younger than age 65 have been eligible for only two months, or less.

A wider range of essential workers as well as younger people with certain medical conditions became eligible March 1.

Santa Barbara County COVID-19 vaccine rollout

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout during the past five months has shifted from high demand, low supply, to steady demand with high supply.

Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said Tuesday that there is an abundance of vaccination appointments and that more providers are offering walk-up shots without appointments.

That’s a big change from a month ago, when she was comparing the process of getting a shot to getting a ticket to a popular concert or “Hamilton” musical.

There are thousands more doses available each week now than there were even a month ago, and supply is now exceeding demand, she said.

Because of that, Public Health has adjusted the number of doses it is ordering, Do-Reynoso added.

Santa Barbara County and other vaccine providers are trying to make the shots easier to access by hosting walk-up sites, with no appointments required, and taking teams of vaccinators out into the community.

More than 3,000 doses have been administered in the county’s so-called mobile clinics so far, and vaccinators have gone to agricultural worksites, places of worship and community centers all over the county.

At some point, the vaccines are likely to be available at every doctor’s office and pharmacy, like the flu shot, Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg has said.

This week, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart/Sam’s Club announced that their locations are now offering walk-up vaccinations and same-day appointments at locations around the country, including in Santa Barbara County.

This story was originally published May 7, 2021 at 12:39 PM.