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Dear Valued Patient,
 
Based on your age, you are now eligible to schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Sansum Clinic.  To schedule an appointment for your vaccination, visit MyChart.   Click here for a tip sheet with step-by-step instructions to schedule a COVID‐19 vaccine appointment in MyChart.
 
Sansum Clinic is offering COVID-19 vaccinations to patients according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department guidelines.  Please be aware that there continues to be a limited supply of vaccine available, and being eligible to schedule a vaccine does not guarantee that there will be supply of vaccine or appointment time available immediately.
 
If there is no appointment available when you login to MyChart, please check back regularly as we will continue to add appointments as more vaccine becomes available.  We have received many questions about whether there is a wait list for the vaccine.  We plan to launch a wait list within MyChart for those who are currently eligible to schedule a vaccination; that will happen as soon as our internal development and testing are complete.  If you join the wait list, you will be notified when an appointment time becomes available. 
 
This is a community-wide effort. You can also receive your vaccine through Cottage Health, Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Lompoc Valley Medical Center and Marian Regional Medical Center.  Some pharmacies and other healthcare facilities may also have limited supplies. To learn more about vaccine eligibility and availability at these organizations, please review the information at the bottom of this email and contact them directly. We are encouraging people to get either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine wherever it is available, and as soon as it is available to you. There is no preference of one vaccine over another, but remember that the second dose of whichever vaccine you receive must be from the same manufacturer, and preferably from the same provider (i.e., we recommend you receive dose 1 and 2 at the same medical facility and/or pharmacy). 
 
It is expected that the availability of the vaccine will increase over time and there should be sufficient supply for all adults to get vaccinated later in 2021.  Between now and then it is essential that everyone continue to help limit the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, social distancing, washing hands often, and avoiding crowds to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Even individuals who are vaccinated must continue to follow these important infection control measures until more is known about the long-term efficacy of the vaccine.
 
Please note that if you are actively infected with COVID-19 and under isolation precautions or have had a close contact exposure to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and are under quarantine precautions, you should not get vaccinated until you are out of the isolation or quarantine period.   Please read and follow the Home Isolation and Quarantine Instructions for People with COVID-19 Infection that can be found at covid19.sansumclinic.org or publichealthsbc.org. 
 
If you have previously been infected with COVID-19, and have recovered, we recommend that you delay getting vaccinated for 90 days after your most recent positive test result.  There is a concern that you may have a stronger reaction to the vaccine if you get vaccinated soon after having had COVID-19, because your immune system is likely already “primed” as a result of the natural infection, and getting vaccinated could potentially result in a more vigorous immune response (e.g., possibly more side effects).  Additionally, current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection due to the natural immunity that you likely now have as a result of making antibodies to the virus on your own.  As a result, we recommend that someone who has had a recent infection wait for 90 days prior to getting vaccinated.
 
Our goal is to ensure all our patients are able to be vaccinated as quickly as possible, according to public health guidelines, in an orderly fashion.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sansum Clinic COVID-19 Vaccine Team
 
P.S.  For everything you need to know about receiving a vaccine at Sansum Clinic and who is currently eligible, visit covid19.sansumclinic.org.
 
Resources for Vaccine Availability in Santa Barbara County
Cottage Health  
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department  
Lompoc Valley Medical Center  
Marian Regional Medical Center  
Local Pharmacies:






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Sansum Clinic · PO BOX 1200 · Santa Barbara, CA 93102-1200 · USA