COVID-19 in Santa Bárbara County has reached record levels, making it even more mandatory for residents to stay home during the New Year holiday.
On Wednesday, the adjusted case rate is 30.8 cases per 100,000 residents; the positivity rate, or the number of positive COVID-19 tests confirmed in the county divided by all tests administered in general, is 9.1%.
“What that means is that COVID-19 is actively spreading across our county. It is not safe to meet with people outside your home, ”said Van Do-Reynoso, director of the public health department. “Not only is the collection unsafe, but we risk losing the extremely limited hospital beds that we have left and exhausting the health team that tirelessly cared for our community.”
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The county, part of Southern California, recently had its home stay extended because the region’s intensive care unit (ICU) capacity is at zero percent. This does not mean that there are no ICU beds available because the state uses a formula to allow space for beds for non-COVID patients. However, many hospital resources are limited.
On the positive side, more COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Santa Barbara County this week. To date, 17,575 vaccines have been delivered to hospitals, health centers and the Department of Public Health; 8,775 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines and 8,800 Modern vaccines were received.
“As we move forward with the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, we are getting closer and closer to getting out of this pandemic,” said public health officer Dr. Henning Ansorg. “The next few weeks are going to be very difficult. Unfortunately, we cannot stop what’s to come in the immediate future, but we can impact the long-term trajectory of the virus’s spread. Stay at home, wear a mask if you need to go out for essential tasks, isolate yourself immediately if you are ill, and please do not meet with those outside the home. “
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