Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) confirms COVID-19 cases are trending downward in the county, but the county is still ranked 11th in the state for high cases.
In the last two weeks, the daily count of active cases decreased by 50% from 2,568 to 1,288 with a peak on January 13th at 3,256 cases. From January 14-28, most areas of the county show a decrease in cases, except for a 16% increase in Isla Vista, stated PHD Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting.
Hospitalizations decreased from 208 to 170 in the past two weeks, however, deaths increased by 29% with 67 deaths reported within this period. Intensive care unit (ICU) availability has increased from 7% to 17.1% as of Monday.
Dr. Do-Reynoso addressed the downward trend in almost all COVID-19 metrics, but stated the county levels are still at an “unacceptably high level” and the county is still “besieged by COVID-19.” While there is more ICU availability, it’s still low and of concern, she said.
Santa Barbara County is currently ranked 11th out of the state’s 58 counties for the number of new cases per 100,000 population. Yesterday the county was ranked 9th in a tie with Merced and much larger counties such as Orange, San Diego, and San Joaquin fall far behind Santa Barbara.
Tuesday’s Numbers
The county’s COVID-19 case rate per 100,000 on Tuesday is 63.8 but was adjusted downward to 47.2 by the state due to the county’s increased testing measures. The testing positivity rate is 11.2 and the health equity metric is 16.7.
“We are solidly in the purple tier,” said Dr. Do-Reynoso while urging residents to double down on diligence to decrease cases.
The county will need to achieve 25 cases per 100,000 to open schools. Less than 7 cases per 100,000, less than 8% testing positivity, and less than 8% health equity will be needed for the county to be eligible for the less restrictive red tier.
With Superbowl Sunday occuring this weekend, Dr. Do-Reynoso urged residents to limit gatherings as the county is still recovering from the virus spread caused by winter holiday gatherings.
On Tuesday, PHD reported 181 new COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths. All five individuals were over 70 years of age and four had underlying health conditions. Two of the deaths were associated with outbreaks at congregate facilities. Two individuals resided in Lompoc, two were from Santa Maria, and one lived in the North County Unincorporated Area.
The death toll has now reached 303.
There are currently 1,254 active cases within the community. Of those, 161 are hospitalized including 48 in the ICU. The county’s ICU availability is at 14.5%.
School Reopenings
PHD is working with six local elementary school districts on their reopening applications for when the time comes. Lompoc, Buellton, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Vista del Mar, and Orcutt unified school districts have all been in contact with public health, said Dr. Do-Reynoso.
Districts need a COVID-19 Safety Plan submitted to PHD and a COVID-19 Prevention Plan submitted to the California Division Of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSHA).
PHD is assisting all school districts to have a safety plan in place and ready to go when the county’s COVID-19 case rate is below 25 per 100,000 population, the benchmark needed to reopen schools in the purple tier.
There are no guidelines available for high schools at this time.
Vaccine Distribution Update
Santa Barbara County was alloted a total of 51,375 vaccines with Marian Regional Medical Center receiving approximately 8,500 additional doses from the state as it serves both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County residents. An additional supply of 6,550 doses are expected to deliver on Tuesday.
These were distributed throughout the county to hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and health care providers. There have been 38,334 doses, approximately 86%, of the vaccine administered to qualifying residents.
Additional data is available at https://publichealthsbc.org.
On Monday, Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that they will open special COVID vaccination sites for illegal immigrants. So don’t think we can all get them we obviously come last
Could be worse. They were almost about to give priority vaccinations to terrorists in GITMO, ahead of our most vulnerable citizens. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/01/30/vaccine-plan-for-gitmo-paused-after-outrage-from-republicans/)
@Shame, you are incorrect. The Biden administration said illegal immigrants and ANYONE residing in the US should be able to get the vaccine, not that they will have a priority. Nowhere did they say there would be special sites. Please stop with the false statements.
No surprise that they are both considered sub-human by some people who now feel empowered to speak their thoughts.
We’re really going to need those 40 doses from GITMO.
What a crock. Just an excuse to be an enraged con.
All older people. Very sad. Too bad we lack leaders.
I don’t care if it’s only 40 doses. We lost 42 people from our local congregate living facilities since January 9th alone, well after the start of the vaccine rollout. I have no problem giving people in US custody the vaccine at some point, it’s just that they should not be getting it before our most vulnerable, who continue to die on nearly a daily basis.
In other conservative news, on Monday SleepyJoe also announced that Area 51 aliens and the ghost of Elvis were getting vaccinated first.
CHemicalSuperfreak: The Pentagon clarified today that the decision to vaccinate Al Qaeda and Taliban members in Gitmo before US citizens was made as part of the initial Trump vaccine rollout plan. I guess it’s all good to save terrorists if Commander Cheeto does it? The plan was probably drawn in crayon on an Olive Garden kids menu and left crumpled in the Resolute desk.
LIE!
“To serve that need, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is vaccinating staff and some residents from those facilities at its own community vaccine clinics, and it plans to establish a mobile unit to bring vaccines directly to facilities…At least two skilled-nursing facilities were vaccinated by local hospitals and the Public Health Department instead of the federal pharmacy program.”
https://www.noozhawk.com/article/covid_vaccinations_slow_start_skilled_nursing_assisted_living_santa_barbara
Because CVS Health, contracted by the trumpers to vaccinate congregate facilities, was getting nowhere. Don’t palter.
Chillin, First, I’m not a Republican/conservative. Nice try though.
Second, did you read the full Politco article or just stop after the headline? For those interested in the truth, the Trump administration initiated the rollout of the vaccine for GITMO, specifically for “health care workers and their support staff, followed by those with critical national security jobs, and then the workforce over 65 years of age or with prior medical conditions.” (1)
The article continues by noting, “Due to its unique population, Guantanamo Bay moved through the phases of the rollout “at a faster clip than others,” Kirby told reporters Tuesday…Last Wednesday, Terry Adirim, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, officially approved the facility to move to the third phase of vaccinations — the category the detainees fall into, Kirby told POLITICO.” (1)
So Terry Adirim made the decision. Was Adirim part of the Trump administration? NOPE! Adirim is part of the Biden’s new administration and was just sworn into his deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs on January 20, 2021. (2)
(1) https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/02/pentagon-trump-guantanamo-vaccinations-465342
(2) https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2477672/new-officials-sworn-in-at-the-department-of-defense/
PITMIX, you apparently commented without reading the entire thread, where yesterday I wrote: “I have no problem giving people in US custody the vaccine at some point, it’s just that they should not be getting it before our most vulnerable, who continue to die on nearly a daily basis.”
Florida Republican Cancel Culture is doing a much better job of firing and raiding the homes of data scientists who report the true infection rates so they can look better than they really are. I mean, what are they scared of?
VOR – Any luck with that “proof” of Biden planning to put kids in cages? Here’s some news from today saying, again, that you’re 100%, certifiably WRONG: https://www.kxan.com/news/catch-and-release-resumes-in-south-texas-mayor-says-biden-order-reinstates-policy/
CSF, if you are going to hold people illegally as enemy combatants without declaring an actual war, then you have some responsibility to ensure their health while you have them in detention. And if you are going to torture them as a matter of state policy, making it impossible to actually try them in a court of law, then you have lost your moral compass. Repubs are such wimps, afraid to bring those big bad bogeymen back to the states to hold them in detention in our supermax prisons. This is why we don’t vote for Repubs in CA.
Here you go Sac. Same things happened during Obama , happened during Trump, and is now happening under Biden. I guess it’s only bad when orange man bad does it. https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/02/politics/migrant-children-facility-immigration/index.html
Well whatever FL is doing, from covid response to vaccine, they’re doing a better job of it than CA.
The Biden admin also reopened the overflow facility for migrant children, you know the ones that put kids in cages (and originally built during Obama admin). I guess kids in cages goes back to being okay now that we have a “good guy” in office.
Sac, you’ve shown time and time again you don’t know what per captia means. As I’ve explained before, putting the initial outbreak aside (March-May) FL has done better on a per capita basis. Remember they also have a much much older population than us. Over the past 6 months they have done significantly better than our metrics, per capita, all WITHIOUT closing schools and destroying small businesses. Even if CA’s were marginally better it came at a steep price paid for not only economically but with real life health and wellness consequences that aren’t reflected in the cases or deaths/100K and will be with us long after covid has passed.
Trump did too, but you left that out.
VOR – I asked a simple question, no need to be insulting. Show me the numbers, saying they’re doing better per capita, doesn’t mean squat. Prove it.