Vaccination clinic opening at Hancock College in Santa Maria

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A roving vaccination clinic will open next week in Santa Maria at the Allan Hancock College campus.

The 7-day clinic begins Monday, April 5 and will remain in place through Sunday, April 11.

All eligible residents who are interested in scheduling an appointment to receive the vaccine should sign up through the county's public health website. Those eligible include residents 50 and older, health care workers, educators and childcare providers, emergency service workers, food and agriculture workers and people 16 and up with high-risk medical conditions.

Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state is expanding its vaccine eligibility to anyone 50 and over starting April 1 and anyone 16 and over on April 15.

Registration to sign up at this vaccine clinic begins Thursday. Appointments can be made through the county's public health website or by calling the county's assistance line at 211 and selecting option 4. The call center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Santa Maria clinic is the next stop in the county's plan to have traveling vaccine clinics. Currently, a roving clinic is in Lompoc at the Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center.

“The mass vaccination clinic is a great success in the current Lompoc location and we look forward to offering this same opportunity in the Santa Maria community,” said County Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso. “With each day of vaccinations, we are closer to seeing the end of the pandemic in our community. Vaccination is the best way to protect you, your family, and your community. While the mass vaccination clinics are available to all Santa Barbara County residents we are happy to provide easy and convenient access to the local community in Santa Maria.”

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department says it expects to administer 10,550 at the Santa Maria vaccination site.