Try Kern County?

Do you feel you are any closer to getting the COVID vaccine? Has your status changed in the last month? Still being denied so much as a place on the vaccination waiting list?

Certainly, the more we learn about COVID variants, the more lethal they seem to be. Science tells us even a single shot of the vaccine is likely to change getting COVID from being lethal to being survivable. But even with all this knowledge, has anything actually happened to change the decisions of those charged with our very lives to change a county vaccination policy that simply is not working for anyone but health-care workers? Every day we get further and further behind the mutating virus.

In a past letter, I suggested that you go to another county such as Kern County to get vaccinated. I did so myself a month ago, and I now have had the first shot and have a date and time for the second shot. Here in Santa Barbara County, the county supervisors and the county’s Department of Public Health hadn’t budged on letting you and me sign up.

Don’t wait for those people charged in this county for your health to do what is apparently necessary. It’s your life. If you are 65+, go to https://kernpublichealth.com/ and click on the “Find a Covid-19 Vaccination Location” button, then pick a location. Alternatively, if you prefer going from the north, call (661) 765-1935, and if you prefer going from the south, call (661) 248-5250 to be placed on a waiting list.

Likewise, if you are an educator, Kern County was ready to begin vaccinating this group starting February 19 because the county has been so successful in getting the job done.

If you are wondering why Kern County locations will care for you when Santa Barbara County locations will not, remember that fact when the next election rolls around and you vote for your county supervisor, who hire the heads of your health district. They are the ones responsible today for the poor representation, the poor vaccination decisions, and for putting your life at risk. This isn’t a blue vs red decision. This is a life vs death decision.