In a sudden reversal after weeks of encouraging residents to get tested for COVID-19, Santa Barbara County officials said Friday that there has been overwhelming demand, and asked members of the public only to request a test if they are experiencing symptoms or have a known exposure to the novel coronavirus.
“We want to reinforce that these testing opportunities are not a cure for curiosity, but for those who have had a risk of being exposed,” said Nick Clay, director of the county’s Emergency Medical Services Agency. “What we are finding is, unfortunately, that the ‘worried well’ individuals who are curious about if they have it or not, but aren’t symptomatic, are coming in a volume that prevents individuals who do need the test.”
Public Health officials and Santa Barbara County Second District Supervisor Gregg Hart, who has been hosting the county briefings, have been urging people to get tested to give the county a more complete idea of the virus spread.
Hart even shared his own story of getting tested, even though he did not experience symptoms, and getting a negative result.
Local testing became more widespread with state-run community testing sites in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and other locations, including Lompoc, Solvang and now Buellton.
Clay said Friday that the community testing sites had two main goals: to offer testing to a broad spectrum of the community, and to learn more about the virus’ spread.
However, the high demand for appointments at those facilities by low-risk individuals has affected testing availability for those who need it more urgently, he said.
Some community testing centers now have a seven- to 10-day waiting list to get an appointment, and the turnaround time of test results has jumped from two or three days to five, he said.
“We still encourage individuals to get tested; however, we are asking only to get tested if you have had a risk of an exposure, you are feeling unwell, or if you have been asked by public health or other medical professionals to get a test,” he said.
The state-run testing centers are expected to keep operating at least through the end of July, according to the Public Health Department, and additional testing is available through medical providers.
“Few of us enjoy wearing masks, and we miss the activities that we enjoy without restrictions,” Clay said. “It is up to us, and the fight to end COVID-19 starts with each and every one of us as an individual.”
County Jail Outbreak
Sheriff Bill Brown said Friday that additional Main Jail custody staff members and inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 during the current outbreak.
Three inmates have tested positive, including two who were in separate, general-population housing units. All three are in isolated negative-air-pressure rooms in a medical unit, he said.
The department has decided to test all inmates, and had tested 155 as of Friday, with 82 negatives and 70 results pending, spokeswoman Raquel Zick said.
Brown said 18 Main Jail employees have tested positive — three more than Monday — including 10 custody deputies, and 355 Sheriff’s Department staff members have been tested.
New Cases Reported
The county has been conducting contact tracing during the course of the pandemic to pinpoint clusters of COVID-19 cases and track possible exposures.
Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said there have not been large clusters of cases connected with any facility other than the two ongoing outbreaks at the Main Jail and the Country Oaks Care Center skilled-nursing facility in Santa Maria, where nine residents have died.
In the majority of new cases reported, people were infected with the novel coronavirus by someone they knew, he said, mentioning workplace transmissions and family gatherings as sources of some recent cases.
While workplaces are required to set COVID-19-related safety guidelines, Ansorg said, some employers have forgotten to make sure social distancing is practiced everywhere, including the break room. There was one recent case that stemmed from co-workers carpooling to work, he added.
Ansorg urged people to continue social distancing, wearing facial coverings and frequently washing their hands.
“We do have widespread community transmission,” Ansorg said. “I cannot stress enough how important these simple preventative measures are to slow the spread of the virus.”
Public Health reported 81 new cases on Friday, with the majority of them reported in Santa Maria (41) and Santa Barbara (14).
The county reported 54 hospitalizations, including 20 people in intensive care units, but the numbers reported in recent days have not been consistent.
Public Health has been reporting two numbers for weeks, one to the state, of total COVID-19 patients, and one to reflect only county residents (excluding out-of-county residents and Lompoc federal correctional complex inmates).
On Friday afternoon, the reopening metrics page was changed, and hospitalization numbers reported for the past two weeks dropped, dramatically in some cases.
Ansorg could not account for the difference on Friday, saying that the county now plans to use the hospitalization numbers reported to the state, even though there is a lag of about a day.
Hart said the number of active cases (people who have tested positive and are either hospitalized or recovering at home for a 14-day period) has decreased in the previous week.
“We have a strong reserve in our hospital capacity that can absorb an unexpected increase of COVID-19 patients,” Hart said.
Last week, Ansorg said he was very concerned about hospital capacity because of the rising number of hospitalizations and ICU cases. There have been six deaths since then, for a countywide total of 29.
“I am still concerned absolutely,” he said Friday, “but I still think if the community takes this as a challenge, and keeps the preventive measures up and improves protection of themselves and each other, then we can weather this pandemic.”
Managing editor Giana Magnoli contributed 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.
