SLO County receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in San Luis Obispo County.

"This is monumentally important," said Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein. "This is over the coming months going to help us turn this pandemic around."

Borenstein made the much-anticipated announcement at the start of Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting.

"There is light at the end of this tunnel," said Borenstein. "This is 1,950 doses and we are going to begin getting those into arms in the next 24 to 48 hours."

Borenstein added the vaccine will be distributed in phases, with the first recipients to be people with the highest risk of becoming infected and spreading the virus.

"Phase 1A is addressed to healthcare workers and residents of long term care facilities," said Borenstein. "Within the phase, there is not enough to go around, so we have subprioritzed for the highest healthcare workers first, then we'll be moving to other facilities of healthcare workers, Public Health field staff, laboratory workers, primary care practices, and then ultimately, still within the healthcare sector, pharmacists, dentists, specialty care practices, etc."

Soon after Phase 1A is completed, the county will move to the next planned tier.

"Phase 1B will come on the heels of that," said Borenstein. "As we start to get more vaccine, and that will be directed to essential workforce, as well as people at higher risk of bad outcomes from the virus, so elderly and those with medical conditions."

She also said the county will rely heavily on Emergency Medical Services (EMS) industry to help deliver the vaccine to recipients.

"We are going to begin with training up a force of EMTs and paramedics from our fire agencies, from our ambulance system because our nurses are largely otherwise engaged in contact tracing, with testing and swabbing and handling outbreaks," said Borenstein. "They will begin in the next day or two vaccinating each other and getting good training in the administration of this vaccine."

While healthcare workers and high-risk individuals will be the first to receive vaccinations, the general public will have to remain patient.

Borenstein pointed out widespread distribution will likely not happen for several months.

"Getting a vaccine to anyone who wants one, we're probably looking at late spring or early summer for the general population," said Borenstein.

For more information, visit www.ReadySLO.org.