[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 Brooke Holland with the latest overview of the COVID-19 pandemic and related topics in Santa Barbara County.
This newsletter is a way for Noozhawk readers to get all important updates in one place.
It’s emailed out every Wednesday, for free, to everyone who subscribes.
Here’s What We Know
» People in Santa Barbara County are encouraged to wear face masks indoors in public places in an effort to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. The county Public Health Department is recommending that everyone — whether vaccinated or unvaccinated — wear masks “as an added layer of protection for unvaccinated residents.”
» Vaccination rates across Santa Barbara County show areas with higher vaccine-induced immunity against the coronavirus and where progress lags. The majority of local ZIP codes have vaccination rates above 60%, but there are a few areas below the countywide rate of 50%, including the Lompoc Valley and Casmalia.
» County public health officials emphasize that COVID-19 vaccines are effective, safe, free, and provide excellent protection against serious illness and death from the disease. The vaccines work well against the Delta variant and other virus variants.
» The weekly number of positive coronavirus cases reported has been rising locally and statewide. Public health officials said they expected some kind of local surge in cases as the more-infectious Delta variant spreads in the community.
» There have been 254 new cases reported in the county in the week ending Tuesday, averaging a little more than 36 cases per day. That is an increase of nearly 112% from the week prior when the county was reporting an average of a little more than 17 new cases per day, according to data tracking done by Noozhawk.
Masks Recommended Indoors
Fully vaccinated people are not required to wear masks in most public settings in California, according to statewide mandates, while unvaccinated people are still required to wear them in all indoor public places.
On Monday, Santa Barbara and Ventura county public health officials recommended that everyone wear masks indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status. The decision comes as the county sees an increase in COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations.
“Out of an abundance of caution, people are recommended to wear masks indoors in settings like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they are fully vaccinated, as an added layer of protection for unvaccinated residents,” public health officials said.
“Businesses are urged to adopt universal masking requirements for customers entering indoor areas of their businesses to provide better protection to their employees and customers. Workplaces must comply with Cal/OSHA (California Division of Occupational Safety and Health) requirements and fully vaccinated employees are encouraged to wear masks indoors if their employer has not confirmed the vaccination status of those around them.”
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported that more than 60% of the county’s eligible population (age 12 or older) were fully vaccinated as of Monday, and 51.4% of all residents have been vaccinated.
The state tracks COVID-19 vaccinations by resident ZIP code, and the department uses the information to guide outreach and vaccination by region.
Additionally, each ZIP code is assigned a vaccine equity metric score that considers social determinants of health, such as income, education and access to health care for residents in that area.
“Our task is to make sure that the underserved community members have access to vaccination in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner,” department director Van Do-Reynoso told Noozhawk. “We have been working on that and we’re seeing a corresponding traction in those specific communities.”
The county has reported administering nearly 478,000 vaccine doses so far.
Vaccination Mandates for UC Campuses
With exemptions for religious or medical reasons, the University of California System is requiring all students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus in person in the fall.
Compliance with the new policy will be required two weeks before people return to campus for the fall term. UC Santa Barbara’s next quarter starts Sept. 23.
Read Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue’s story about the mandate.
Where to Get Tested
Testing is recommended for anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, even if the person is fully vaccinated, according to the Public Health Department.
“If you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, then your risk of becoming infected with COVID is very low … but not impossible,” the department says. “If you experience COVID symptoms, isolate from others and get tested. If you see your doctor for evaluation, tell them your vaccination status.”
People can have mild to severe symptoms from COVID-19 and some symptoms include fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is reporting more so-called breakthrough infections — positive cases among fully vaccinated people — with the Delta variant, even though the cases tend to be mild and not require hospitalization.
Not all novel coronavirus testing is free, but most testing for diagnostic purposes — finding out if a person is infected, not just getting a test for travel or admission to an event — should be covered completely by health insurance.
There are several state-run testing sites in Santa Barbara County that offer free testing to everyone, regardless of health insurance coverage status or immigration status. Click here for those locations and more information on testing.
Many doctor’s offices and clinics also offer diagnostic testing. Click here for a map of testing providers in California.
Protection for the Unvaccinated
A reader asks: How to protect unvaccinated family members and others?
The best thing to do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to “get vaccinated yourself. COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of people getting and spreading COVID-19.”
People who are not fully vaccinated are advised to take steps to protect themselves and community members, including staying 6 feet away from people in public settings and wearing a “well-fitted” face mask, the CDC says.
Children 2 years old and older who are unvaccinated need to wear masks in public settings, the CDC says.
“To set an example, you also might choose to wear a mask,” the CDC’s website states.
“If your child is younger than 2 years or cannot wear a mask, limit visits with people who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, and keep distance between your child and other people in public.”
Click here to read the CDC’s guidance for families with vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
Children ages 12 and up are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. That is a two-shot vaccine, with the second dose given three weeks after the first dose. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second shot of a two-dose vaccine, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccination.
Many K-12 schools start in-person classes in mid-August.
Readers have sent us dozens 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 county website, publichealthsbc.org/vaccine, or at myturn.ca.gov. Some facilities offer walk-ups as well as appointments.
» 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, with resources for business reopening, rental assistance, food assistance and more.
» Click here for Noozhawk’s complete Coronavirus Crisis coverage.
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— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
