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