By edhat staff
Santa Barbara County is not eligible to move into the orange level due to an increase in COVID-19 cases, public health says.
Although state officials announced today that the standards are widening again due to 4 million of the most dangerous Californians being vaccinated, Santa Barbara County fell short. Other provinces of Southern California such as Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside have all moved into the orange level.
During the meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, dr. Van Do-Reynoso, director of public health, said the province has a 6.8 adjusted case per 100,000 population and that it needs a 5.9 or lower for two consecutive weeks to be eligible for the less restricted orange level. .
Last week, Santa Barbara County had a 5.3 adjusted rate. “We’ll have some work to do,” she said.
The Department of Public Health attributes the slight increase due to reopening and release of restrictions. Dr. Do-Reynoso said the pandemic is shifting nationally to younger, non-vaccinated people who look more mobile and social. Locally, there has been an increase in cases for people in their 20s who are college students or working in offices. Regionally, the increase is seen in Santa Barbara, Goleta, unincorporated areas of Goleta, and unincorporated northern county.
On Monday, the Department of Public Health announced that someone 16 years or older is now eligible to receive the vaccine at public health vaccinations due to a large amount of vaccine availability. More appointments can be opened on April 15 for clinics and pharmacies for 16-year-olds.
About 17.3% of Santa Barbara County is fully vaccinated, while 30% receive at least one dose of the two-dose vaccine.
The Department of Public Health administered 8,314 first-dose doses in Lompoc last week and they plan to administer 9,150 doses in Santa Maria this week and 7,530 doses in Santa Barbara next week. Click here to make an appointment.
Governor Gavin Newsom, California, has administered more than 20 million vaccines, has stable hospitalization rates and has the lowest test positivity in the US. Newsom said in a statement Monday that they plan to reopen the state by June 15.
Visit publichealthsbc.org for more information.