Santa Barbara County residents 50 and older now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – All Santa Barbara County residents over the age of 50 are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Lompoc Valley Medical Center is now taking appointments.

"At this point, we're accepting anybody that's 50 and older," said LVMC Chief Operations Officer Dr. Naishadh Buch. "It's a good thing in general from the standpoint the more people get vaccinated, the quicker we get to general herd immunity."

Dignity Health is also gearing up to take appointments in Santa Barbara County, including those 30 years of age and up in San Luis Obispo County, and are managing appointments at both counties with different rules.

Dignity Health Central Coast Chief Medical Officer Dr. Scott Robertson said managing both counties with their own sets of eligibility rules can be a challenge.

"When you have a health care entity that spans a couple different counties and the counties have different rules, it is important for us to follow those rules," Robertson said.

To book an appointment with Lompoc Valley Medical Center, call 805-875-8909 or click here to email.

To book an appointment with Dignity Health, click here.

Both medical sites do ask for an ID upon arrival to your appointment.