AnonymousBy Shelly Leachman, UC Santa Barbara
Committed to serving locals living near its campus, in Isla Vista and beyond, as well as its own university community, UC Santa Barbara is extending its partnership with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department to offer booster vaccinations through the month of February.
The entities first joined forces in early January, collaborating on a vaccine booster clinic in an effort to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in Isla Vista and the broader Goleta and Santa Barbara communities amid the surging Omicron variant.
“We are grateful for this ongoing partnership with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and pleased to be able to extend this critical service not only to our students, but to other residents of Isla Vista and the surrounding areas for another month,” said Dr. Vejas Skripkus, M.D., executive director of UC Santa Barbara’s Student Health Services and campus physician.
“Recent studies have demonstrated that a COVID-19 booster vaccine can provide very high levels of protective antibodies against the Omicron variant,” he added. “At this time, widespread booster vaccination remains the single most effective strategy for mitigating transmission.”
Remaining dates for the vaccinations are Jan. 28, Feb. 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at UC Santa Barbara’s Embarcadero Hall, at 935 Embarcadero Del Norte, in Isla Vista. Appointments are available via MyTurn, though walk-ins are welcome at the end of each booster clinic day.
The clinic is staffed by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and volunteers from UC Santa Barbara.
The CDC now defines “fully vaccinated” as a person who has received a booster vaccination for COVID-19. The agency recommends a booster beginning five months after completing the original vaccination series of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna vaccine, and two months after the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
