More than 8,000 SLO County health care workers get vaccinated for COVID-19
Tenet Health Central Coast started administering the second doses of COVID-19 vaccines Thursday and among the first to receive one at Twin Cities Community Hospital was Dr. Mareeni Stanislaus, who delivered the first baby of the New Year at Twin Cities earlier this week.
–As of Friday, more than 8,000 San Luis Obispo County residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The County Public Health Department has received a total of more than 12,200 vaccine doses, which includes first and second doses, and vaccinated more than 4,000 people against COVID-19. Additionally, health care partners have also given over 4,000 doses of the vaccine directly to hospital staff, long-term care facilities, and staff at Atascadero State Hospital and the California Men’s Colony.
The health department now has the capacity to vaccinate up to 3,250 people each week (650 people per day, five days per week) and is planning to open two more vaccine clinics later in January. The county is rapidly progressing through Phase 1a of vaccinations and anticipates being able to start vaccinating the next group of residents – including adults over 75 and critical infrastructure workers – by February, maybe sooner.
In North County, Tenet Health Central Coast’s Twin Cities Community Hospital reports strong interest from its employees wanting to receive the vaccine. “We are continuing to offer vaccine clinics for our employees,” Tenet said in a statement. “The vaccine is one of the important, multiple layers of safety that we can provide to our employees who are eager for the inoculation, and we are working quickly to protect as many as we can as soon as possible.”
“Locally, we are getting this vaccine to as many people as we possibly can as fast as we can,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer. “To help us, the SLO County COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force met for the first time yesterday to discuss local vaccine distribution, taking guidance from the CDC and State into consideration alongside comments and concerns from the public.”
The SLO County COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, which will meet weekly, is made up of local leaders from each sector of our community and is working to ensure that high-risk/vulnerable community members have quick and equitable access to vaccines. The task force includes first responders (Emergency Management Services, the Fire Department, law enforcement), hospitals, bioethicists, community health centers, faith leaders, racial equity groups (NAACP, Promotores), disability service organizations, multilingual organizations, senior citizens, the unhoused, Transitions Mental Health Association, and essential sectors, such as education, agriculture, utilities, and transportation.
For updates, visit www.emergencyslo.org/vaccines, subscribe to the County’s COVID-19 Updates emails, or follow the County Public Health Department on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. For more information, visit www.ReadySLO.org or call the recorded Public Health Information Line at (805) 788-2903. A staffed phone assistance center is available at (805) 543-2444 to assist with questions related to COVID-19 Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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