San Benito County expected to begin vaccinating Phase 1b

SAN BENITO COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency announced that it expects to advance into a new tier of COVID-19 vaccination soon.

The agency said in a statement that because it has vaccinated the majority of people in Phase 1a, they expect to begin vaccinating people in Phase 1b, Tier 1 next week.

The tier includes people aged 65 and older and those at risk of exposure while working in education and childcare, emergency services or food and agriculture.

The California Department of Public Health says the county should continue vaccinating anyone left in Phase 1a and prioritize Phase 1b first by age, then by occupational risk exposure and then based on whether they live in vulnerable communities.

According to the county's Vaccine Distribution Dashboard, it has received 2,215 vaccine doses so far from the state and has administered 1,732.

Santa Cruz County health officials said they are also expecting to move into Phase 1b next week.