With a slower than expected vaccine roll out for COVID-19, San Luis Obispo County Public Health held a press conference outlining their plans.
San Luis Obispo County is in phase 1A of vaccine distribution which gives healthcare and community health workers along with long term care residents and staff the ability to get vaccinations first — included in the next group will be those age 75 and older.
"We made a decision as the local task force, that our next opening for vaccination will be age 75 plus," SLO County Health Director Dr. Penny Borenstein said.
While the state of California is suggesting individuals 65 and over be eligible for vaccines in the next tier, SLO County says they will need to limit the next group to those over 75, along with some frontline critical infrastructure workers.
“In our county we have roughly 26 thousand plus individuals age 75+, and just between the ages of 65 and 74 we have 38 thousand individuals and we are looking at maybe 4,000 vaccines of first dose remaining in our hands come Monday,” Borenstein said.
Some younger SLO County residents say they understand.
Edward Collinson says he agrees with the current categories in place.
“Obviously I would love for [the vaccine] to get to my age group, but I think it should go to the other age groups first,” he said.
Others want the entire process to speed up.
“I think they have to make it more hastened or more vigilant in giving vaccines, it’s kind of slow," SLO County resident Pinky Molina said.
San Luis Obispo resident, Brooke Waller, says she thinks it is fair the 75 and older age group will be receiving the vaccine first.
“Hopefully they start rolling out the under 75 and start doing the 65 plus soon enough,” she said.
Dr. Borenstein says they hope to move forward with getting the vaccine to locations and places that are familiar to most like community pharmacies and healthcare providers.
"We are excited to start the next phase of this in the coming days to week," she said.
The County says they have plans for additional and larger vaccination clinics in the works with the goal of providing about 3 thousand vaccinations a day.
If you would like more information on vaccine distributions, click here.