Santa Barbara County Lowers COVID-19 Vaccine Age Restrictions

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Photo Courtesy of Joshua Hoehne

Rayne Frantzen

Breaking News Reporter

The State of California has been offering COVID-19 Vaccination since December 2020. There are two vaccines available, Moderna and Pfizer, which require two doses over a span of two weeks. The first batch of vaccines went to healthcare workers on the front line, like doctors and nurses. 

In Santa Barbara County, people who are eligible, which include individuals age 65 years and older, residents in the following sectors: health care, education, childcare, emergency services, food and agricultural, public transit, and people ages 16-64 with high-risk medical conditions are now able to obtain their COVID-19 vaccine. 

In order to check eligibility, everyone can check California’s vaccine scheduling website to see if they are eligible to obtain the vaccine. There are many clinics and hospitals that offer the vaccine such as the Cottage Valley Health Goleta or Santa Barbara, Sansum Clinic, CVS, Vons, and many more pharmacies and clinics. 

According to the UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) Student Health, if a student, either an undergraduate or graduate, is an employee of the campus then the student is eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines as are individuals ages 16 and above with certain significant, high-risk medical conditions or disabilities. UCSB Student Health offers vaccines through invitation or the student can schedule an appointment through California’s vaccine scheduling website

In the Cottage Valley Health Goleta drive up, the process, which includes a questionnaire and vaccination, takes about 5-10 minutes. Afterward, you are instructed to park for 15 minutes to make sure there will be no side effects such as itching, shortness of breath, etc. After the 15 minutes is over, you obtain a vaccination card and will be contacted for the second dose in the future. 

As of Monday, Santa Barbara County has lifted eligibility restrictions to obtain a dose of the vaccine. Anyone over the age of 16 can sign up for an appointment on the Santa Barbara County Public Health website.