SLO County now has more than 12,000 COVID vaccines. When will you be able to get a shot?

Jan. 8—With the COVID-19 pandemic already surpassing 12,000 cases in San Luis Obispo County and coronavirus deaths nearing 100, Public Health officials are receiving hundreds of questions per day around vaccines, along with requests to expedite the process.

County Public Health Officer Penny Borenstein said immunizations are rolling out as quickly as possible given the supply and staffing available, adding "this is by far the quickest unveiling of a vaccination for a new disease, and we're moving as aggressively and robustly as we can."

With local all-time highs of daily infections and active cases, Borenstein said the vaccines bring welcome positive news and will help bring back normalcy to life in San Luis Obispo County.

She added that a community task force of more than 30 members has begun meeting and will help urge the community to get shots while tackling distribution guidance.

These are some of the key questions the department tackled this week.

How many coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered so far?

As of Friday morning, more than 8,000 doses have been given by the county Public Health Department, with the target of administering 400 to 600 each weekday as supply allows. Those goals could increase depending on vaccine supply and availability of those qualified to give shots.

The county has used about two-thirds of its vaccines received so far for the highest priority group: health care professionals and long-term care facility residents.

Those administered already include first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, in anticipation of a second dose given three weeks after the first shot. (No one has passed that timeline yet.)

About 3,000 Pfizer doses have been set aside to administer second doses in the next week or so.

How many doses has SLO County received?

San Luis Obispo County has received 12,225 doses of vaccines, getting a new shipment of about 2,000 on Tuesday, according to county Public Health officials. Additionally, health care partners have also given over 4,000 doses of vaccine directly to hospital staff, long-term care facilities, and staff at Atascadero State Hospital and the California Men's Colony. ASH has received a total of 1,600 doses, according to facility officials.

Borenstein said that she's unaware of any frontline medical workers not getting vaccines before others in less direct contact with patients or the public. Eligible workers may sign up for vaccine appointments.

Tenet Health Central Coast started administering the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines Thursday.

Why weren't doses given by SLO County over New Year's holiday period?

Last week, county Public Health scheduled vaccine appointments only three days on Monday to Wednesday "to make the most efficient use of very limited staffing resources on the days when health care workers were most available to receive the vaccine," said Michelle Shoresman, a county Public Health spokesperson.

"Providing vaccines to our health care workers is a top priority and it requires a limited resource — a licensed nurse or medic to deliver the vaccine. These staff are simultaneously in very high demand as our community responds to a surge in cases through testing, contact tracing and patient care."

Shoresman said the county is administering doses each weekday this week.

"Understandably, the public is interested and we are interested in getting the vaccine out as quickly as possible," Borenstein said at Wednesday's news conference.

When can the general public start receiving COVID-19 vaccines?

The county can't maintain a wait list, Borenstein said, adding "we would like the public to check back on our website with some frequency as to when we will open for additional groups of individuals."

SLO County is rapidly progressing through its highest priority of vaccinations and anticipates being able to start vaccinating the next group of residents — including adults over 75 and critical infrastructure workers — by February, maybe sooner.

Then the county might start including other groups, Borenstein said, but those decisions would still need to be vetted through national and state public health guidance, as well as data, and task force guidance.

Borenstein said that members of the general public who don't belong to vulnerable groups likely won't get the vaccine until late spring or summer, though Shoresman said Thursday that the timelines are in flux depending on supply and staffing.

The county, however, has created a form on its website to receive feedback from the public for the SLO County COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force to weigh need and priority. The form is available at: forms.emergencyslo.org/Vaccine-Advocacy

The Task Force will meet weekly and consist of representatives of groups such as: first responders, hospitals, bioethicists, community health centers, faith leaders, racial equity organizations, disability services, homeless, seniors, mental health, agriculture, transportation and more.

Where will vaccines be given in SLO County?

Public Health is planning to establish three county locations ("points of distributions" or "PODS") to administer doses, of which there is now only one, in San Luis Obispo.

Eventually, in coming months when vaccines become available to the general public, the hope is for people to be able to go to a pharmacy for shots, as they commonly do for flu immunizations, Borenstein said.

Health officials say the ultimate goal is for doctors and pharmacies to be able to give shots, but that depends on supply in the future.

Who can administer the vaccines?

While currently a licensed nurse or medic can deliver the vaccines, the county is seeking permission from state to be able to authorize dentists with training and emergency service technicians to give doses.

The county is organizing a training program to get that cadre of workers prepared, Borenstein said.

What can you do until you can get vaccinated?

Considering the relatively high number of cases currently, Borenstein urges San Luis Obispo County residents to adhere to general safety precautions such as not gathering in groups, social distancing, wearing a mask and frequently washing hands.

She said she had the first chance to walk in downtown SLO in a while and "you would never know that we're under a shelter-at-home order."

"Please don't unknowingly become a source of transmission to someone vulnerable to hospitalization or deaths," Borenstein said. "... This is not the time to let down our guard. I implore people to double down on all the protective measures we ask."

What's next for SLO County?

The SLO County COVID-19 task force, representing 30 members from cross-sections of the community, met Wednesday for the first time to start its work on assessing distribution of the immunizations to the community.

Borenstein said she's hopeful that a scaled-up number of doses get to older adults and critical infrastructure workers in the next two to three weeks.

"Our two Achilles heels are, one, having all the staff to administer the expanded number of doses and, two, having the vaccine supply," Borenstein said Wednesday. "With respect to the vaccine supply, we are not able to predict more than a week out how much we're able to get from the manufacturers. So, we're planning for the best, but we may have to scale back depending on limited dosages being mailed to us."

For updates, visit www.emergencyslo.org/vaccines, subscribe to the county's COVID-19 updates, emails, or follow the County Public Health Department on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Note: This story has been updated with new information that was released by the county Friday morning.

___

(c)2021 The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)

Visit The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) at www.sanluisobispo.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.