Santa Barbara County Public Health officials have previously noted that the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 have disproportionately affected communities of color since the beginning of the pandemic, and the most recent demographic data show that trend continuing.
The updated Community Data Dashboard includes a demographic breakdown of COVID-19-related cases, hospitalizations and deaths through the end of 2020.
While Hispanic/Latino residents make up 48% of the county’s population, they account for 57% of COVID-19 cases, 67% of hospitalizations, and 50% of COVID-related deaths through Dec. 31, 2020.
White residents make up 43% of the county’s population and account for 15% of cases, 23% of hospitalizations, and 39% of deaths through Dec. 31, according to the dashboard.
“The disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in communities of color is rooted in the historic and ongoing social and economic inequalities that contribute to the observed racial disparities in health status,” Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso told the Board of Supervisors in October, and made similar comments in December.
“There’s nothing about being Black, Latinx, or indigenous in and of itself that makes people more susceptible to COVID,” said Paige Batson, deputy director of Community Health, during a Feb. 12 vaccine town hall meeting. “Instead, it is social determinants of health and other disparities that these populations face that contribute to why they are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.”
Some social determinants of health include housing (people in crowded housing have a hard time safely isolating or quarantining) and work environments.
People of color are more likely to work in essential jobs (not from home) and to have underlying health conditions than white people, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
The majority of the county’s cases and hospitalizations were reported in people between the ages of 18 and 49, but the deaths are occurring mostly in residents over the age of 70.
People in the 18-49 age group represent 67% of the county’s population but account for 83% of COVID-19 cases and 71% of hospitalizations through Dec. 31.
Residents over the age of 70 make up 11% of the population but accounted for 67% of the COVID-related deaths reported in 2020 (178 total).
The county also tracks demographic information for COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
As of Feb. 20, 32% of vaccine doses were reportedly administered to white residents while 18% were administered to Hispanic/Latino residents, according to the dashboard.
Public Health officials have recognized that vaccinations so far do not reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the county, and Do-Reynoso has said she expects distribution to better represent the county population as more groups become eligible for the shots.
They are reporting that 5.2% of county residents (23,761 people) are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with both doses.
A geographical breakdown of the numbers show that the region hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the North County, has the lowest percentage of its population vaccinated so far, at 4.3%.
Santa Maria, the largest city in the county with an estimated 107,000 people, has reported 35% of all cases countywide.
Share of Cases Share of Deaths Share of Second-Dose Vaccinations Share of Population Fully Vaccinated North County 42.9% 48.5% 27.8% 4.3% Mid County 13.4% 14.6% 17.7% 4.9% South County 34.9% 35.5% 54.4% 5.9%
North County includes Santa Maria, Orcutt, Guadalupe, Sisquoc, Casmalia, Garey, Cuyama, and New Cuyama.
Mid County includes Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, Mission Hills, Los Alamos, Buellton, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Ballard. The federal prison complex in Lompoc is not included in these calculations, since its vaccination plan goes through the federal government and not the county.
South County includes Gaviota, Goleta, Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, and unincorporated areas of the South Coast.
The population of the North County and Mid County areas combined is about equal to the South Coast population, according to the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
Latest Local COVID-19 Numbers
Wednesday’s COVID-19 numbers were not released due to delays in the state’s reporting system, but the county has experienced a decline in new daily positive cases and hospitalizations in the past few weeks.
Santa Barbara County has a low enough case rate for elementary schools to start in-person classes, and many districts are making plans to reopen.
Public Health moved the high-capacity mobile COVID-19 testing site to Santa Maria last week, where it can handle about 500 appointments per day. Click here for more information on that and other free local testing opportunities.
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccine tracker shows that 19.8 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated with two doses.
In Santa Barbara County, a network of Public Health clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies is scheduling vaccination appointments for healthcare workers and residents 65 years old and older.
Starting March 1, limited appointments will become available for people working in education, childcare, food and agriculture, according to the county.
Population Vaccine Doses Administered Source Santa Barbara County 460,444 78,925 as of Feb. 20 Public Health Department Data Dashboard California 39.5 million 7.7 million as of Feb. 23 California Department of Public Health United States 330.8 million 65 million as of Feb. 23 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Santa Barbara County tracks vaccinations by geographic area, age group, and race/ethnicity on its data dashboard here: sbcdashboard.org.
The number of administered doses includes Santa Barbara County residents who were vaccinated, regardless of vaccination site, according to the Public Health Department. The number also includes vaccinations for skilled nursing and assisted living community residents.
People Fully Vaccinated (Two Doses) Population Fully Vaccinated North County 6,612 4.3% Mid County 4,206 4.9% South County 12,934 5.9% Santa Barbara County 23,761 5.2%
As of Feb. 20, the county has administered 54,476 first doses and 23,761 second doses. About 60% of the administered doses have gone to women and 40% to men, according to the dashboard.
The county Public Health Department has vaccine-related information on its COVID-19 page here: https://publichealthsbc.org.
The 2-1-1 call center is staffed with people who can answer questions about COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County, according to the Public Health Department.
The call center can be reached at 2-1-1 or 800.400.1572 for out-of-area numbers, and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
Managing editor Giana Magnoli contributed reporting to this story.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
