All San Luis Obispo County residents aged 16 and over can now register to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at an SLO County Health Public vaccination clinic.
Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Public health officials say this opens the vaccine’s eligibility to about 54,000 additional SLO County residents.
The county will continue to prioritize those at higher risk for COVID-19 complications based on age and health conditions when scheduling appointments, depending on the vaccine supply, health officials say could take several weeks to those who are newly eligible to obtain an appointment.
Officials say the Department of Public Health currently has enough resources to administer about 9,000 first doses next week at one of three mass vaccination clinics in Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande.
Eligible residents under the age of 18 will only be given the Pfizer vaccine. It is the only vaccine currently authorized by the FDA for use in 16- and 17-year-olds.
Those under the age of 18 will also need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian for vaccination.
To register for an appointment, visit recoverslo.org/vaccineregistration or call the county helpline at (805) 543-2444.
Public health officials say some pharmacies that receive the vaccine allocation from the federal government instead of the county may not immediately open appointments for this new eligible group.