While the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is reporting an increase in COVID-19 virus transmission in the community, the weekly average of PCR-confirmed cases over the week ending Thursday has decreased by 3.7%, according to the department’s weekly COVID-19 summary.
This is, however, still an underreporting of cases in the county, as most at-home rapid antigen tests are not reported to the Public Health Department.
In the week ending Monday — the most recent case data available on the county’s data dashboard — there were 337 COVID-19 cases reported and no related deaths.
The 7-day test positivity rate as of Monday was 9.8% and on Thursday, there were 55 COVID-19-positive people hospitalized throughout the county, with five of these patients in intensive-care units.
Santa Barbara County remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s low COVID-19 community level.
This is based on new COVID-19 cases, new COVID-19-related hospital admissions, and the percent of inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
As people gather for the holidays, Public Health officials recommend they get tested if they have COVID-19 symptoms and to stay home if they are sick, as well as to check local conditions and the county’s guidance.
The CDC also recommends both the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent booster vaccines for those as young as 6 months who have completed the primary two-dose series of the monovalent COVID-19 vaccine. Mixing brands is not authorized for children ages 6 months through 4 years.
More information on COVID-19 vaccines and testing sites throughout the county can be found on publichealthsbc.org.
