[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.
Santa Barbara County has come a long way in the past 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this newsletter is a way for residents to get important updates in one place.
It’s emailed out every Wednesday, for free, to everyone who subscribes.
Here’s What We Know
» Positive COVID-19 cases linked to the Delta variant have been detected in Santa Barbara County. The Delta variant concerns public health officials since it is more infectious than other forms of the novel coronavirus. According to the county Public Health Department, “the Delta variant infects almost exclusively unvaccinated persons.”
» Santa Barbara County reported zero coronavirus-related fatalities in the past seven days, with the cumulative death toll standing at 457 since the pandemic arrived locally in March 2020. Seven COVID-19 fatalities were reported in June after zero deaths were announced in May.
» Public Health Department data show that the number of new COVID-19 cases reported each week has been rising since the end of June. Sixty-five new cases were reported in the county over the last seven days as of Tuesday, averaging slightly more than nine new cases per day countywide. That’s about a 30% increase compared to the week before, according to county data that Noozhawk has been tracking for more than a year.
» To date, the 30-to-49 age group has recorded the most cases since the pandemic began, with a total of 10,975 people testing positive for the virus. The 18-to-29 age group follows with 9,940 positive cases to date.
» As of Tuesday, there were 10 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county.
Delta Variant
Two more cases caused by COVID-19’s highly contagious Delta variant were reported in Santa Barbara County, public health officials announced last week.
The virus samples were identified through variant surveillance in late April, and reported recently by the UC Santa Barbara virology laboratory.
“If one sick person gave the virus to about two or three people with the previous variants that we had, this Delta type is given to about five to six people from one infected person,” Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health office, has said.
The Delta variant was first discovered in the United States in March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The variant was initially identified in December 2020 in India, the CDC says.
According to the CDC, the Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma variants circulating in the United States “are classified as variants of concern.”
“These variants seem to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19,” the CDC says. “An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health-care resources, lead to more hospitalizations, and potentially more deaths …
“So far, studies suggest that the current authorized vaccines work on the circulating variants.”
County public health officials say vaccination is the best protection against the Delta variant.
Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue’s July 2 story includes the latest information from the Public Health Department.
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
In Santa Barbara County, more than 59% of eligible residents (those age 12 or older) are fully vaccinated as of Monday, according to county data.
More than 239,300 of county residents have received a single dose of vaccine, more than 206,900 had a second dose administered, and nearly 19,800 have received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
For the first five days in July, more than 2,500 vaccines were reportedly administered in Santa Barbara County.
Monthly doses administered in the county peaked at about 149,000 people vaccinated in April, followed by about 110,540 in March, and nearly 74,000 in May.
All Californians ages 16 and up were eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting in mid-April.
In May, Santa Barbara County providers began vaccinating children 12 and older. They are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Why Two Shots?
People who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will need two shots to get the most protection, according to public health officials.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is urging people that have received their first dose of a two-dose vaccine to get their second dose.
“It is true, that even after only one injection of the Pfizer or Moderna Vaccine, the immune system will respond and provide an initial protective shield against infection and severe disease from COVID,” Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county public health officer, wrote in a community message in May.
“In order to receive the optimal and long-lasting protection, however, you will need the second dose of the regimen.”
For your second shot, people should get the same product as the first COVID-19 vaccine shot, according to the CDC.
If someone experienced a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) after the first shot of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, they are advised to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as a second dose, Ansorg said.
Moderna vaccines are given 28 days (four weeks) apart and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are administered 21 days (three weeks) apart.
“However, if delays are unavoidable, a second dose may be given within 42 days, or six weeks without diminishing the booster effect,” Ansorg said.
People are considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after their final dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is a single-dose, so individuals are considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after they receive one shot.
Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people must continue wearing face coverings in public indoor settings, including restaurants, theaters, retail stores and other businesses, according to California’s statewide mask mandate.
Goleta Valley Community Center Update
A reader asks: When will the Goleta Valley Community Center reopen?
According to the City of Goleta and GVCC’s acting general manager, Charlie Johnson, the facility will reopen to the public later this month. Johnson said there has been a lot of maintenance work going on during the pandemic-related closure at the Old Town landmark at 5679 Hollister Ave.
The auditorium and dining room will remain closed for seismic and accessibility improvements.
Readers have sent us dozens of questions about COVID-19, vaccination, business reopening rules, in-person school, and other pandemic-related issues. Please send your questions 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.
