By edhat team
Health officials warn that the rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations is expected to continue until the end of January.
Ron Werft, president / CEO of Cottage Health System, said that “this is far from over” during Friday’s press conference.
Although hospital beds, personal protective equipment (PPE) and fans are abundant, hospitals are more concerned with the intensive care team. The ability to identify, recruit and expand staff is a major challenge for all hospitals in the country, said Werft.
Cottage Health’s reinforcement plans are underway, but there is a “limit to what we will be able to do,” he said.
The Department of Public Health announced that COVID-19 data for Friday is delayed due to an issue with the state’s CalREDIE reporting system, but Director Van Do-Reynoso was able to provide an update based on last two weeks.
Santa Barbara County is experiencing a 10-fold increase between Thanksgiving and New Year, which is directly related to meetings and travel over the holidays, she said.
The data is “literally off the charts,” said Do-Reynoso, confirming that they had to adjust their chart displays to accommodate the increase in numbers. From December 27 to January 2, COVID-19 cases increased by 53%, active cases increased by 19% and the test’s positivity increased to almost 17%. That means a positive for every 16 people taking the test, she said.
In addition, there were eight outbreaks in congregated care settings and six outbreaks in commercial settings: two in administrative offices, one in skilled labor, one in a supermarket and one in retail.
Werft said Cottage Health is receiving two to four patient transfer requests every 24 hours, as many hospitals have not reached intensive care unit (ICU) beds.
Federal law governs how hospitals manage transfers where each is reviewed based on the hospital’s capacity, a higher level of care, and confirmation that the requesting hospital has exhausted all possible solutions between them and Santa Barbara. Werft confirmed that Cottage Health will not compromise its ability to care for the local community by accepting a transfer.
The Department of Public Health has received 16,775 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine so far and recently ordered 4,900 doses with an additional 7,200 doses to be ordered next week. The Department expects to vaccinate 5,000 people this month.
Starting on Monday, a mobile COVID-19 test unit will be available to support testing expansion across the county. The mobile test unit will be located at CenCal Health in Santa Bárbara (4050 Calle Real) from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm. This test site will be available from 7 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday thereafter for a minimum of two (2) weeks and available to all members of the community.
The mobile test unit will then be moved to a new location that will be announced. To request an appointment, visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting online. If you need help registering, call 2-1-1.
In addition to the new mobile test site, the expanded COVID-19 test is also available in the communities of Santa Maria and Isla Vista.
Isla Vista Theater
(Starting January 8, 2021)
960 Embarcadero del Norte, Isla Vista
Fridays and Saturdays
12:00 – 5:00 pm
Walk-in only (no compromises).
Santa Maria Health Center
2115 Centerpointe Pkwy, Santa Maria
Tuesday Friday
10am – 12pm and 1pm – 3pm
More information can be found at https://publichealthsbc.org/