Santa Barbara County Residents 65+ Will Be Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine

Beginning February 16, Santa Barbara County residents 65 and older will get their first opportunity to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination.

Santa Barbara County has lagged in getting this group vaccinated, so far only vaccinating health-care workers and those 75 and older, while other counties in the state were able to vaccinate those 65 and older. 

“Even though we are moving to the 65+, we are still very limited in the number of vaccines that we get as a county,” Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said. “I just want to ground us in reality… We have a lot more people than we have vaccines for.”

In addition, the state announced Friday that people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are disabled or are at high risk of death or serious illness if they contract the virus will be eligible to receive their vaccines March 15 as vaccines become available.

The county gets an estimated 6,000 doses per week, and there are over 40,000 people aged 65-74 in the county alone. So far, the county has received 61,000 doses and has administered 99 percent of that. 

At the Santa Barbara Independent, our staff is working around the clock to cover every aspect of this crisis — sorting truth from rumor.  Our reporters and editors are asking the tough questions of our public health officials and spreading the word about how we can all help one another. The community needs us — now more than ever — and we need you  in order to keep doing the important work we do. Support the Independent by making a direct contribution or with a subscription to Indy+.