SLO County’s COVID vaccine rate plateaus while trailing state. How is your area doing?
San Luis Obispo County’s COVID-19 vaccination rate has flattened during the summer — and now Public Health officials are working harder than ever to reach out to people who still haven’t gotten even their first shots.
About 65% of eligible county residents — young people and adults age 12 and older — have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine, as of July 25. Nearly 58% are fully vaccinated against the virus, and about 35% remain unvaccinated.
That means the county’s rate lags about 7 percentage points behind the state, as a whole. About 72% of Californians have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot, and about 63% are fully vaccinated, according to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) data from July 29.
The vaccine has been available for all adults age 16 and older since April, and it’s been available for young people 12 and older since May.
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The COVID-19 Delta variant’s arrival here has sparked outbreaks throughout the county, and the weekly case rate nearly doubled again on Tuesday. These developments have prompted Public Health officials to ramp up their outreach efforts in areas with low vaccination rates.
They’re also emphasizing that most of the county’s 2021 coronavirus cases — about 98.5% of them — have occurred in people who are unvaccinated.
Although some fully vaccinated people have gotten COVID-19, those cases are relatively rare, said Dr. Penny Borenstein, county Public Health officer.
“Messaging to our community: Let us help you get to a safer place, get more information, so we can move forward together,” she said at a Thursday news conference. “The time is now, and this is what we’re seeing.”
SLO County vaccine demand levels off during the summer
Public Health officials’ concern stems in part from the county’s flattening demand for the coronavirus vaccine — even though more than one-third of residents still have yet to get their first dose.
Week-by-week data on the 169,188 vaccine doses Public Health has administered since December shows demand steadily increased through the end of April before declining in May, June and July.
The data doesn’t include the doses pharmacies and private medical offices have given, but it does show changing trends over time and how demand has waned.
Of all doses administered by Public Health, 98% came prior to June 4 — the agency has distributed only 2.2% of its shots since the beginning of the summer.
When vaccine demand was at its peak in March and April, the county was vaccinating more than 10,000 people per week. The week of July 23, only about 360 people received vaccines at county clinics.
“Overall, our vaccination rates are increasing more slowly than they were in January through June, when demand for vaccine was high and supply was low,” said Michelle Shoresman, Public Health spokeswoman, in an email. “Currently, and over the last several weeks, the county’s overall vaccination rates are increasing by about 0.5-1% a week, if considering both partial and full vaccination rates.”
Vaccine rates still vary by zip code
COVID-19 vaccination rates throughout the county vary greatly by zip code, age group and race and ethnicity.
More than 60% of residents in many zip codes throughout the county have received at least one dose of the vaccine, CDPH data shows.
Avila Beach, where 100% of residents are fully vaccinated, continues to have the best rate of any community. About 77% of residents in San Luis Obispo’s 93401 zip code area have received at least one dose, and 69% are fully vaccinated.
Cambria — where 72% of residents have received at least one vaccine dose and about 66% of people are fully vaccinated — has the third-best rate in the county.
Many South County and North Coast communities aren’t far behind. More than 60% of residents in those zip codes have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, and more than 50% are fully vaccinated.
The North County’s vaccination rate continues to lag behind those of other regions. Templeton is the only zip code where more than 60% of residents have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. About 50% of people in most North County zip codes have gotten at least one vaccine dose, while more than 40% of people in most areas are fully vaccinated.
The 93405 zip code in San Luis Obispo continues to have a very poor vaccine rate. Public Health officials believe that’s because the area has a large population of college students, and those who got vaccinated likely used out-of-area addresses when they got their shots.
Younger residents lag in vaccinations
Most residents older than 50 are fully vaccinated, but 18- to 49-year-olds and young people ages 12 to 17 trail behind, according to CDPH data.
About 76% of residents age 65 and older are fully vaccinated, as are 65% of 50- to 64-year-olds.
But just 48% of 18- to 49-year-olds are fully vaccinated, as are 36% of 12- to 17-year-olds. More than 50% of teens and pre-teens haven’t received a first vaccine dose, along with 45% of 18- to 49-year-olds.
White residents have still gotten disproportionately more coronavirus shots than residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino. About 49% of white residents are fully vaccinated, and 55% have gotten at least one vaccine dose.
Comparatively, just 39% of Latino residents are fully vaccinated, and 46% have gotten at least one dose.
Public Health ramping up vaccine outreach, incentives
The Public Health Department is employing a variety of strategies to increase vaccination rates throughout the county.
The agency closed its mass vaccine sites in June and is now distributing vaccines at existing clinics in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Grover Beach.
On Thursday, Borenstein announced all Public Health clinics have walk-in capacity, and those who get vaccines will get $25 gift cards to one of a variety of retailers with each dose.
Public Health staff are also using mobile vaccine clinics to reach “areas where larger proportions of minorities and low income communities live,” Shoresman said.
“We know they are less likely to have access to health care and other resources to stay healthy,” she said.
The agency is looking at census tract-level vaccine information to assess where to focus their efforts. Right now, Public Health staff is working to improve vaccination rates in Nipomo, Oceano, Shandon, San Miguel and lower-income census tracts in Paso Robles, Shoresman said.
“We have recently received some data from the state that some of those census tracts where we have focused a great deal of attention and vaccine are now some of the census tracts with the highest vaccination rates in the county,” Shoresman said. “This tells us that what we are doing is working, and we will keep focusing on the areas where there continues to be the greatest need.”
Some Public Health staff and members of the Promotores Collaborative of San Luis Obispo County — which connects Hispanic and Latino residents with health resources — have been canvassing in neighborhoods ahead of mobile vaccine clinics.
The canvassers visit businesses and community meeting places, and sometimes go door-to-door, to share flyers and information about the vaccine and the upcoming clinic.
Felipe Gonzalez, Public Health multilingual outreach coordinator, canvassed in San Simeon on July 23 ahead of a mobile clinic to be held the following week at an apartment complex in conjunction with a SLO Food Bank distribution.
Gonzalez visited nearby hotels and convenience stores to distribute information about the clinic in English and Spanish. He also hung large banners and posted flyers in an apartment laundry room and on mailboxes to advertise the event.
“We’ve gotten this far just based on people who wanted (the vaccine),” Gonzalez said. “Now, it’s a matter of us doing the legwork to convince the people who are on the fence.”
This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
