[Editor’s note: Noozhawk’s weekly COVID-19 email newsletter is delivered to subscribers on Wednesdays. You can sign up here. We are republishing the newsletters on the website so more readers have access to them.]
Welcome to Noozhawk’s Weekly COVID-19 Briefing.
I’m Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz with the latest COVID-19 news in Santa Barbara County.
This newsletter is a way for Noozhawk readers to get important updates in one place.
It is emailed out every Wednesday, for free, to everyone who subscribes.
Here’s What We Know
» In the week ending Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported 1,107 new COVID-19 cases — a 29.5% increase from the previous week ending June 21, which had 855 new cases.
» There were no coronavirus-related deaths in the county in the week ending Tuesday. One death was reported in the previous week.
» As of Tuesday, 28 coronavirus-positive individuals were hospitalized in the county, with two patients in intensive-care units.
» According to the Community Data Dashboard, there are 1,033 “active cases” of people who have tested positive and were still infectious as of Tuesday.
» Beginning Friday, the Public Health Department will start using state data for its dashboard. More information on the transition can be found on the county’s FAQ page.
Santa Maria Fairpark Clinic Closing
The Santa Maria Fairpark COVID-19 vaccine clinic is closing this week due to a decrease in demand. The last day is Wednesday.
According to the Public Health Department, the site has administered nearly 20,000 vaccinations since it opened in May 2021.
The Fairpark will stay open for COVID-19 testing and treatment services, and free vaccinations are available through local health-care providers and pharmacies.
Information on the nearest vaccination site for primary series or boosters can be found at https://www.vaccines.gov.
COVID-19 vaccines are available for everyone 6 months old and older.
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
As of Monday, Santa Barbara County providers have administered 842,254 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, 170,472 of them booster doses.
About 69.3% of eligible Santa Barbara County residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus, and 76.5% of eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The county’s vaccination tracker now includes the under-5 population, which became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination last week.
Reader Resources
» Find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you on the Vaccine Finder search function of https://www.vaccines.gov/search/. You can search for providers by location and by specific vaccine available (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson). You can also find providers on the county website, publichealthsbc.org/vaccine, or at myturn.ca.gov. Some facilities offer walk-ups as well as appointments.
» Text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) for a list of vaccine providers in English, or text your ZIP code to VACUNA (822862) for a list in Spanish.
» There are free COVID-19 testing facilities around the county.
» Find more local pandemic-related information on the Public Health Department website and the county’s COVID-19 recovery page, with resources for business reopening, rental assistance, food assistance and more.
» Click here for Noozhawk’s complete Coronavirus Crisis coverage.
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— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.