[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.]
I’m Noozhawk staff writer Grace Kitayama 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 March 16 — the most recent data available — the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported an 18.2% decrease in PCR test-confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the week prior, with 133 new cases reported.
- COVID-19 community levels remained low in Santa Barbara County according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions.
- As of Monday, the county reported 16 coronavirus-positive hospital patients, including one in intensive care.
- The test-positivity rate in the county was 5.4% last week, meaning 5.4% of PCR test results were positive.
CalFresh Pandemic Benefits
CalFresh emergency allotments, which gave households at least $95 more per month in benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, are ending. The final emergency allotment will be issued on March 26.
CalFresh serves 54,860 people in Santa Barbara County, and 32,512 households, roughly 8% of the county’s population.
To find a food pantry in Santa Barbara County, visit 211 Santa Barbara County.
To find a food bank, visit Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
Click here to donate to a food drive.
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
About 70% of Santa Barbara County residents are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, which is a slightly lower rate than California overall.
Of those eligible, 60% of county residents have completed the primary series of the vaccine and received a booster dose, and 24.7% of residents have received the bivalent booster.
To Our Readers
Noozhawk is ending its weekly COVID-19 newsletter in two weeks, with the last edition going out on April 5.
Our reporters will continue to monitor public health guidance and local transmission of the coronavirus for news stories.
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, Novavax 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.
- Click here for Noozhawk’s complete Coronavirus Crisis coverage.
Help Support Noozhawk Today
Our team has worked hard to build Noozhawk into the trusted local news platform it is today. We are a vital part of this community.
We’re excited about what we do, but we need your help to continue bringing you the thorough local news coverage you rely on.
Your paid membership in our Hawks Club ensures that we can continue to deliver the news you need and want, 24/7. Will you help us by making a financial commitment today?
Click here to make an online donation.
Thank you for your support.
P.S. — Contributions to Noozhawk are not tax-deductible. Checks can be mailed to Noozhawk, P.O. Box 101, Santa Barbara 93102. Please include your email address so we can contact you.