SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Consultations for the COVID-19 vaccine have been opened for residents of Santa Barbara County over the age of 16 as of Monday.
It used to be like winning a race to get an online vaccine appointment in SB County. This is no longer the case.
Santa Barbara County now has enough doses to meet demand and more, which is why the county is moving faster than the state and neighboring counties when it comes to lowering the age limit for vaccines.
“We are also reducing the minimum age limit. We have gone through all the requirements to meet the state’s vaccine requirements. Now we have so much vaccine availability that we are reducing the age only in Santa Barbara County clinics to 16 years or more for the Pfizer vaccine and 18 or older for the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccine, “said Nick Clay, director of the emergency medical services agency.
Residents aged 16 and over can immediately start scheduling appointments for one of the two Public Health Community Vaccination Clinics located at the Hilton Beachfront Resort in Santa Barbara and Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria.
As of Monday afternoon, there were still 800 appointments available at the Hilton clinic.
Residents aged 18 or older are eligible for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, while everyone aged 16 or older can receive an injection from Pfizer. For more details, visit the public health website.
Consultations at the Santa Maria clinic begin on Monday, April 5, until Sunday, April 11.
Vaccination appointments in Santa Bárbara will be available from Tuesday, April 6, to Thursday, April 8.
For help making an appointment, you can call 211 and select option 4.
Vaccine clinics will be open only to residents of Santa Barbara County. Those who do not live or work in the municipality will be refused.
“We are in the final stretch, that does not mean we are finished, we are in the final stretch,” said Clay.
While the vaccines look good, Clay said people should continue to wear masks, wash their hands and keep physical distance.
Health experts also want to remind people that the protective effects of vaccines do not appear until two weeks after the final dose.
To make an appointment and for more information, visit publichealthsbc.org/phd-vaccination-clinics.