One of the biggest challenges in the distribution of the vaccine is not to administer the actual doses, but to share information about the vaccines with the public.
“Vaccine communications have been really challenging because of the structure of the system description,” said 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart. “If we start with jargon, with layers and 1A and 1B and C, people will never reach it. They will never be comfortable with the system. “
In addition to the jargon referenced by Hart, the launch of vaccines has more challenges in Santa Barbara. Many seniors aged 75 and over, who are in the next group of people to receive vaccines, are eager to make an appointment. Because of the state’s vaccine guidance, those who wish to make an appointment in advance do not yet have the option to do so.
Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said that part of the impediment was strict adherence to state guidelines that only allowed Public Health to administer the vaccine to one group at a time within group 1A, the health professionals who deal with the patient and are in the first group of those to be vaccinated. Last week, the state allowed the county to vaccinate all groups within 1A simultaneously, and this began to accelerate the process.
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It turns out that Santa Barbara County is doing very well. The state has distributed about 27 percent of its vaccine doses, and nationally the average is around 30 percent. Santa Barbara County, on the other hand, distributed 54% of its vaccines.
So when can the next group start lining up for vaccinations? Early February. Although it is not possible to make an appointment now, anyone over 75 can be sure that their time is coming. Do-Reynoso explained that while notifying people about vaccine eligibility through their employer was successful with the first group, many in the next group are retired.
Thus, they will be notified of their turn through their primary care physician and can also obtain their vaccine at retail pharmacies. Public Health vaccination posts will also be installed throughout the municipality. She also said that Public Health is developing mobile clinics to offer vaccines in specific locations for specific populations, such as homes for the elderly or rural workers.
Those with doubts about their eligibility can send email [email protected] or dial 211. The county had eight employees to answer calls, and Public Health has two full-time employees working to respond to vaccine emails.
But not everyone was concerned about the vaccine’s eligibility. Some feared the opposite.
“I have some concerns that are different from those of my colleagues,” said Bob Nelson, 4th District Supervisor. “Some of my constituents are concerned that vaccination is mandatory at some point. Is there any talk about this? “
This was Nelson’s first meeting after taking over from his former boss, former supervisor Peter Adam. It represents a more conservative district in the county. Do-Reynoso told him that it is not mandatory because it is under emergency use authorization. Once it has full FDA approval in two years or more, it predicts that it will be a different conversation and that it will be in charge of employers.
5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino questioned when the vaccines would be enough to “get back to normal, whatever that means”.
“People will continue to hold on and do their part when they can see a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “How many people would we need to vaccinate in the county before we start to relax those orders to stay home?”
The answer was not simple. Do-Reynoso explained that it is the capacity of the intensive care unit that needs to grow before the regional order of stay at home is suspended. Vaccines, while an important tool to fight the pandemic, will not remove Santa Barbarians from the order to stay home on their own.
COVID-19 CONTINUES UP
Despite the fact that vaccine implantation is going well in Santa Barbara, the county is still exploding with cases of COVID-19. In the past four weeks since the holiday, there has been an “astronomical” increase in the county’s adjusted case rate, which now stands at 64, said Do-Reynoso. The test’s positivity has increased by 114% in the past four weeks, and the county’s intensive care unit capacity is hovering around 11%.
Contact trackers determined that the majority of people who contracted the virus during week 52 of the pandemic work in offices, are under 18, or are retired / unemployed. This captures only 41 percent of peak data because contact trackers are still interviewing COVID-19-positive individuals.
First district supervisor Das Williams was concerned about individuals traveling to the county and possibly bringing the virus with them. It is mandatory that visitors from outside the state be quarantined for 10 days, although Santa Bárbara does not have a message for visitors saying this.
“We could do a better job of informing people [to quarantine]? Williams asked. “It’s a big deal in LA County and, apparently, they inform people at airports.”
Public health officer Dr. Henning Ansorg agreed with Williams and said that more targeted messages would be good, although he did not set an example or say how these messages could be distributed to visitors.
TEST
Although mass testing was a difficult feat at the start of the pandemic, testing for the virus has grown rapidly, and the county has the highest testing capacity ever. There are 1,173 testing opportunities in the county per day.
Public Health opened its first mobile test site on Monday at CenCal Health in Santa Barbara, which can administer 538 tests per day alone. It will be open Monday through Friday for a minimum of two weeks before moving to a new location in the county. To schedule an appointment, click here.
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