[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 managing editor Giana Magnoli 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

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported just seven COVID-19 cases on Monday and 14 cases on Tuesday, a sign of decreasing community transmission.

The number of coronavirus-positive people being treated in local hospitals has decreased to 23, a low level not seen in the county since late July 2021.

The county’s mask mandate has been lifted, but some institutions and events still require them. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has more special events and movie screenings planned for the week, with proof of vaccination and masks required for all of them, according to organizers.

Here’s how to get tickets if you didn’t buy a festival pass. UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures events require masks and proof of vaccination and booster shot, if eligible.

School Mask Mandate Revoked

California will remove its universal mask mandate for K-12 schools and child-care facilities on Saturday.

Starting on Monday, masks will no longer be required for staff or students at local school districts, including the Goleta Union School District.

“We ask that everyone offer grace and kindness as we navigate this change in our district community,” GUSD officials said in a message to parents this week.

“Some staff members may choose to continue to wear a mask, and some families may choose to continue to have their children wear a mask for their own personal reasons. We honor a parent’s right to make that choice for their child.”

Read Dr. Dan Brennan’s Noozhawk Q&A about COVID-19 in children, vaccinations and school safety measures.

Brennan suggests a layered approach to protect children from coronavirus infections at school and in extracurricular activities, including vaccination if eligible and high-quality masks in some settings.

Skilled Nursing Resident Deaths

Skilled-nursing facilities in Santa Barbara County and the rest of California have reported very few coronavirus-related deaths of residents since the widespread vaccination efforts of early 2021 — until this winter’s surge in cases.

At least seven deaths of local skilled-nursing residents have been reported in January and February, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

This includes three people at Lompoc Valley Medical Center’s skilled nursing facility, two at the Lompoc Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, and two people at Buena Vista Care Center in Goleta.

Among the county’s 14 skilled-nursing facilities, the rate of fully vaccinated residents who have received a COVID-19 booster shot ranges from 100% to 67%.

Three facilities have staff booster rates below 50% as of Feb. 20, compared to 11 facilities with low rates at the end of January before the mandate went into effect. 

Click here to read Noozhawk’s 2021 investigation into why the pandemic hit long-term care facilities so hard.

Vaccination Progress

Fewer than 40% of children ages 5 to 11 are vaccinated for COVID-19, while every older age group has rates above 70%, according to Santa Barbara County Public Health Department data.

About 307,500 people are fully vaccinated in the county, which is about 70% of residents. So far 80% of eligible residents (age 5 and older) have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

There are free vaccination clinics planned at elementary schools and other sites around the county this month, and the doses are also available at local pharmacies.

At-Home COVID-19 Testing

At-home antigen COVID-19 tests give results in 15 minutes and can be used by anyone experiencing coronavirus symptoms, anyone exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus, and anyone wanting to check their infection status.

The Public Health Department has at-home antigen test kit FAQs available online in English and in Spanish.

If you test positive with an at-home test, you should take that as confirmation you are infected with COVID-19 and follow home isolation guidelines, according to Public Health Department officials. 

Sign up at https://www.covidtests.gov/ to get four free test kits (two boxes of two) mailed to your house.

Local pick-up locations for free tests are posted on the Public Health Department website at https://publichealthsbc.org/at-home-test-kits/.

Some health insurance companies will reimburse you for the costs of at-home rapid tests you purchase. More information is available here: https://www.cms.gov/how-to-get-your-at-home-OTC-COVID-19-test-for-free.

Got Questions?

Readers have sent us scores of questions about COVID-19, vaccination, business reopening rules, in-person school, and other 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 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.

» Click here for Noozhawk’s complete Coronavirus Crisis coverage.

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— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.