Everyone age 50 and older can sign up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments in Santa Barbara County as of Tuesday, and eligibility will finally open up to all Californians 16 and up on April 15.
Tens of thousands of people under the age of 50 are currently eligible because of a high-risk medical condition or their occupation. Click here to read Noozhawk’s story explaining who is eligible.
Public officials have cautioned that not all adults will be able to immediately schedule appointments once they become eligible, but local deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines are increasing, and a new partnership provided the county with thousands of doses for its own vaccination clinics.
As of Wednesday, the statewide database showed Santa Barbara County has administered 188,878 vaccine doses, with 68,143 people fully vaccinated and the rest partially vaccinated (one dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine).
Neighboring Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties had administered 406,243 and 130,686 doses, respectively.
Both of those counties have a higher rate of vaccination per 100,000 residents compared to Santa Barbara County so far, based on the state data dashboard and estimated population.
About 18 million doses have been administered statewide, with 6.5 million people fully vaccinated.
County residents have to sign up for appointments through each vaccination provider’s independent system, including the Public Health Department, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies.
Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said last week that the county would be joining the MyTurn state vaccine registration website by Thursday, with appointment searches and registration available in one place, but not all vaccination providers were offering appointments through the portal as of Wednesday.
Searching local zip codes on the MyTurn site resulted in the same message:
“No appointments are available, we can’t schedule your COVID-19 vaccination yet.
“Vaccine supplies and onsite resources are still limited in your appointment location. Please accept our apologies for that inconvenience. We can notify you when more appointments and locations are available.”
You can check your eligibility on MyTurn.ca.gov, sign up to receive notifications, and register for vaccination appointments there, when available.
In the meantime, how do you find a vaccine provider and search for an appointment?
List of COVID-19 Vaccine Providers in Santa Barbara County
Visit the county COVID-19 website at https://publichealthsbc.org/vaccine/ for vaccine-related information and lists of providers and appointment registration links.
Use VaccineFinder to search providers near you.
» Public Health Department vaccination clinics for anyone eligible (50+, 16+ age with high-risk medical condition, qualified essential workers). Second-dose appointments are scheduled three weeks out, at the same clinic location as the first dose.
The Lompoc clinic happening now still has appointments available for Friday and Saturday at the Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center, 1120 West Ocean Ave. Click here for more information and to sign up for an appointment.
The next community vaccination clinic starts Monday at Allan Hancock College, 800 S. College Drive, in Santa Maria, for seven days. Only first-dose Pfizer-BioNTech appointments are available. Appointments for the Santa Maria clinic become available on the county website, https://publichealthsbc.org/phd-vaccination-clinics/, at 9 a.m. Thursday.
A county-run community vaccination clinic will be in Santa Barbara from April 12 to 16.
» Cottage Health: Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital drive-up vaccination clinics and urgent care locations. Appointments are typically posted on Fridays between 3 and 5 p.m. on MyTurn.ca.gov. Click here for more information. Second-dose appointments will be scheduled three to six weeks after the first dose. “Call the Cottage Health COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 805.678.7016 or 800.756.5510 if you have not received an email 17 days after your first dose appointment.”
» Sansum Clinic: Vaccination information is available on the website, https://covid19.sansumclinic.org/vaccine, which also encourages patients to sign up via MyTurn.ca.gov. Sansum Clinic has a waitlist for 65+ patients available here: https://covid19.sansumclinic.org/waitlist.
» Lompoc Valley Medical Center: People 50 years old and older can request appointments by calling 805.875.8909 or emailing vaccine@lompocvmc.com. More information is available on the website here.
» Marian Regional Medical Center: Vaccination information available on its website here.
» Albertsons/Sav-On/Vons pharmacies: Search for appointments by location by clicking here. Website says residents must live in Lompoc or Santa Ynez valleys to book spots at Lompoc pharmacies; must live in Casmalia, Sisquoc, Los Alamos, Santa Maria, Orcutt, Guadalupe or Cuyama for Orcutt and Santa Maria pharmacies; must live in Montecito, Santa Barbara, Summerland or Goleta for Montecito pharmacy; and must live in Carpinteria for Carpinteria pharmacy location.
» Ralphs pharmacies: Search for appointments by location by clicking here.
» CVS pharmacies: Search for appointments by location by clicking here. As of Wednesday, all Santa Barbara County locations were listed as fully booked.
» Rite Aid pharmacies: Search for appointments by location by clicking here.
How to Make a COVID-19 Vaccination or Testing Appointment Over the Phone
Vaccination registration systems usually require an email address for confirmation, but the county call center (reached at 2-1-1, option 4, daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) can help people sign up by phone, without needing internet access.
Testing appointments for the free, state-run local sites can also be made over the phone, by calling 888.634.1123, option 8, or 2-1-1.
For more, read A Guide to Making COVID-19 Testing, Vaccine Appointments By Phone in Santa Barbara County.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.