[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 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 

» Santa Barbara County is reporting a slight increase in the number of new daily COVID-19 cases. This is the first time since July that an increase has been reported. 

» There was a 4.1% increase in PCR-confirmed cases last week, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.

» The number of local hospital patients testing positive for COVID-19 remains low, with 17 reported on Monday (including two in intensive-care units).

» The county reported one death last week related to COVID-19. Thirteen deaths have been reported in the past month.

» Researchers are questioning whether “Paxlovid rebound” is real, the Los Angeles Times reported. Some people infected with COVID-19 have reported feeling better and then feeling sick again after taking the antiviral drug, which reduces the risk of becoming severely ill or dying of COVID-19. These relapses, or rebound, may be a characteristic of the virus, since studies have shown they happen in patients who have not taken the drug, according to the newspaper.

» Lompoc Valley Medical Center is reducing its Friday hours for COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Shots will be available by appointment and a limited walk-in basis from 3 to 5 p.m. rather than staying open until 6 p.m.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

In Santa Barbara County, 69.7% of people have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, and 58.3% are fully vaccinated and have received at least one booster shot, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state reports that 14.2% of people in the county have received the bivalent booster vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 81.3% of people over the age of 65 in the county have been fully vaccinated and received a booster shot for COVID-19.

Got Questions?

Readers have sent us dozens of questions about pandemic-related issues. Please send yours to news@noozhawk.com and we’ll try to include them in future newsletters and Noozhawk Q&As.

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.

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— Noozhawk staff writer Grace Kitayama can be reached at gkitayama@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.