Teachers, Grocery Store Workers Will Be Eligible for Vaccinations

Starting next week, educators and childcare workers, grocery store workers, and agricultural workers will be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Santa Barbara County.

Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said that they will reserve 70 percent of next week’s vaccine allocation for health-care workers and those age 65 and older. The remaining 30 percent will be reserved for the newly eligible group. She said her department has set aside at least 1,000 doses for childcare workers and educators next week.

As of February 23, 87 percent of the county’s vaccine doses have been administered. The drop is due to the delay in receiving the vaccines due to the storm last week. Do-Reynoso said she anticipates being fully caught up by next week. 

County case rates and testing positivity have decreased simultaneously in recent weeks, allowing elementary schools to reopen and youth sports to reopen soon. The current case rate is 16.9 per 100,000, and the positivity rate is 6 percent. 

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