By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
March 6, 2021
| 6:30 p.m.
Santa Barbara County held the first COVID-19 vaccination clinics this past week for grocery store, foodbank and emergency services workers, and Public Health Department staff removed more than 100 people from the Santa Barbara clinic who were not eligible.
That happens to some extent for every vaccination clinic, and there are “more folks around the time eligibility expands,” spokeswoman Jackie Ruiz said.
The supply-and-demand imbalance for COVID-19 vaccine doses has caused a frustrating, confusing distribution system for Santa Barbara County residents.
The state and public health departments made priority groups based on risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus (based on occupation) and risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 (mostly based on age or medical condition).