North Santa Barbara County hits 50% vaccinated milestone, surpassing Central County

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Public Health officials said they hit a milestone Friday: more than half of north county residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“It's a milestone,” said Santa Barbara County Public Health officer Dr. Henning Ansorg. “We are very pleased with the progress we are making.”

Public health gives credit to local organizations for stepping up and helping get as many vaccinated as possible.

“We are working with community organizations to debunk misunderstandings about vaccines, about safety,” said Dr. Ansorg.

Some people NewsChannel 3-12 spoke with said they were hesitant to get the vaccine.

Once they were educated by a community organization, they decided to get the COVID vaccine, to protect themselves and others.  

“My health is pretty important to me,” said Santa Maria resident Michael Zamudio. “I exercise a lot, so I like to stay fit.”

But the efforts do not stop here. The central part of the county is just under 50% vaccinated.

Lompoc Valley Medical Center is continuing its vaccine clinics every friday.

“If we can get into the mid-100s to the mid-200s on a given day,” said the hospital’s Chief Operations Officer Dr. Naishadh Buch. “Then that’s a good turnout for us.”

Public health says most of the central county is hard to reach, but will continue its efforts in that community.

“We are not giving up,” said Dr. Ansorg. “I will tell you that. because we have a goal, we want 80% of all of our county to be vaccinated, in order to be safer.”