Anonymous
By Dr. Henning Ansorg, M.D., FACP, Health Officer County of Santa Barbara, Department of Public Health
Santa Barbara County is seeing an alarming increase in new case rates for COVID-19, with active cases up 90% over two weeks ago. With the current uptick, it is expected that the daily case rates will continue to increase and cause a new wave of infection similar to the Summer of 2020.
The biggest obstacle to stopping the virus is the proportion of unvaccinated community members. In Santa Barbara County, an unvaccinated person is15 times more likely to get infected and fall ill from COVID-19 compared to if they were vaccinated. The new surge is truly a wave of unvaccinated people falling ill and spreading the virus to others.
Severe COVID-19 can be very dangerous: The sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner you, your friends and family will be protected.
How do I protect myself against variants?
• Get vaccinated if you are 12 years of age or older. The three COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the US offer the best protection against all variants currently spreading here. They have proven to be very safe and effective. If you have concerns or questions about COVID-19 vaccines, talk with your doctor. If you are already vaccinated, encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to get vaccinated.
• Wear a mask. Masks remain the most powerful tool to protect yourself from infection and others if you were unknowingly spreading the virus before developing symptoms. Make sure you wear a well-fitting mask that covers both your mouth and nose in public indoor settings. Because the Delta variant is capable to occasionally infect vaccinated people, we strongly recommend that fully vaccinated persons also wear masks indoors in public places .
Learn more about masks at https://publichealthsbc.org/individual-health/.
• Wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer often – especially after being in public spaces where surfaces are touched by many people.
How do I get a COVID-19 vaccine?
Vaccines are available across Santa Barbara County and free to everyone, regardless of immigration status. Many vaccination sites take walk-ins, or you can choose to make an appointment.
• Visit https://publichealthsbc.org/vaccine/ to find a location near you.
• Visit https://www.vaccines.gov/ for additional locations
• Information is also available in many languages 24/7 by calling 2-1-1.
• TEXT: GETVAX (438829) for English or VACUNA (822862) for Spanish
This is going to get really really bad.
Here we go again. I’m donning my mask again, I have been not wearing one b/c I’m vaxxed but with this, it’s time if only to prevent MORE mutations which might escape the vaccine’s effectiveness.
It already looks like last summer
We need a vaccine mandate, not a mask mandate.
The City of Santa Barbara and private businesses should demand proof of vaccination before providing goods and services. All city employees must be required to be vaccinated or submit to regular intrusive COVID testing.
As recently as yesterday, the CDC affirmed that there is no reason for the fully vaccinated to go around wearing masks. It isn’t necessary. If you are vaccinated, the likelihood that you will become deathly sick is almost nil.
The authorities should focus on the unvaccinated and stop whipping up panic.
It doesn’t look anything like last summer. People are not dying in anything like the same numbers and we have efficacious vaccines. Take a chill pill. We are in a much better situation than last summer, if you are vaccinated.
Just remember that “we” includes the unvaccinated, some of whom are not unvaccinated by choice, plus the immunocompromised.
Doomsday! Haha, cmon people of Edhat and all other fearmongers. You can do it. Do what you say? Mask up? No. No. Get a vaccination. Done.
If you’re smart, and have any sort of community consciousness, you’ll do both.
Why both?
Loose, If we had not had a mandate decades ago we would still be plagued by Small Pox and Polio as we were when I was a child. The luddites among us seem not to have learned from history.
Masks are optional at my workplace for those who can provide proof of vaccination. But I continue to wear a mask because (1) someone in our office just got a “break-through” infection, and (2) I was at Albertsons when someone in line said he was from Florida and that “they don’t do masks or shots”. In the parking lot I noticed his large RV had Florida plates. A tourist vector.
Bullpuckey
Once again, Florida is leading the nation in COVID stupidity and cases.
I’m with Macron, let the ‘freedumb’ whiners stay home.
Let the cool, vaccinated kidz out to play.
Vaccine Passports, NOW!
LATEST NUMBERS OUT OF PUBLIC HEALTH ENGLAND
Here’s the latest batch of data (Friday’s technical briefing 19) from Public Health England (PHE) regarding vaccinations and the delta variant. PHE is one of the very few government organizations that is fully transparent, providing a very high level of detail in their reports. You can look at the numbers yourself here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-of-novel-sars-cov-2-variant-variant-of-concern-20201201
DELTA CASE NUMBERS: Most of the delta positive cases are currently unvaccinated people (53.0%), with 10.4% being fully vaccinated. That said, these numbers have been changing dramatically since early June, with an small net decrease in unvaccinated cases (-1.9%) and a rather large increase in fully vaccinated cases (+7.5%).
HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM DELTA: Overnight stays in the hospital have mostly been unvaccinated people, but since monitoring started in June these numbers tending toward a reversal. Cases of unvaccinated people with overnight stays in the hospital have dropped (-7.4%), and fully vaccinated hospitalizations have dramatically increased (+17.7%).
TOTAL DEATHS FROM DELTA:
460 people have died from the delta variant as of Friday’s report, with 224 of them being fully vaccinated (48.7%) and only 165 being unvaccinated (35.9%). Partially vaccinated account of 65 deaths (14.1%).
MORTALITY OF DELTA:
Based on the data provided in the latest technical briefing, mortality for fully vaccinated people is 0.10%, while mortality for unvaccinated people is slightly lower at 0.07%, for only 0.03% for partially vaccinated.
MY CONCLUSIONS:
The vaccines are failing against the delta variant in real-world England. While the majority of positive delta cases and hospitalizations are among unvaccinated people, those numbers are dropping and a fully vaccinated individuals are making up a larger proportion of cases and hospitalizations. Most concerning are the outcomes, with fully vaccinated individuals making up the majority of deaths (48.7% fully vaccinated vs 35.9% unvaccinated). I’ve been criticized as being misleading by presenting the numbers this way, which is why I’m now including the mortality rates (0.10% fully vaccinated vs. 0.07% unvaccinated). Either way you look at it, there vaccines are simply not providing the expect protection to certain populations of fully vaccinated individuals, which thus far appears to be those over 50 years of age. Links to pre-existing conditions are not apparent from the data. My suspicion is that unvaccinated people are still treating COVID as a threat and taking precautions, while fully vaccinated people have returned to a pre-COVID mentality and are now paying a price. If you think what’s happening in England can’t or won’t happen here, you are fooling yourself—or someone fooled you.
Vaccinated people contract covid too and they too shed virus whether asymptomatic or not. There are at least 10 strains of covid worldwide so far, making masking prudent. Misinformation is everywhere, including Bidens recent vaccine remarks. Does he own J&J stock? J&J made $2.5 Billion on vax so far.
Hospitalizations are on the rise as well, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients undergoing hospital treatment statewide doubling in just the past 16 days to more than 2,400 and the number requiring intensive care doubling in the past 17 days to 575. The last time the numbers rose that quickly was in November and December, as the last winter surge was building.
J&J is actually weak against Delta, If it were me I would upgrade to Pfizer @ 90 days Plus from their vaccine.
This is a self-inflicted would by the unvaccinated
“Just remember that ‘we’ includes the unvaccinated, some of whom are not unvaccinated by choice, plus the immunocompromised.”
Rubbish. I don’t believe there are people who are “not unvaccinated by choice”. All adults and teens have had several months to get the shot. There’s no excuse for not being vaccinated. Just pig-headed stupidity and selfishness.
Young kids, who haven’t been approved for the vaccine, can quarantine or wear masks until vaccines become available.
The “immunocompromised” represent a very small part of the population. They have always been with us, COVID or not. I feel bad for them, but if I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t expect everyone else, especially the vaccinated, to go around wearing masks on my behalf. The immunocompromised should do what they have always done, be careful not to expose themselves to anything that might endanger them.
Oh look a real life AntiVa member! I sure hope you dont have any children. The world is already awash in stupidity and we really dont need any more offspring dragging the common denominator down even further…
3 in our office this week. Dont be stupid, mask up and get the vaccine.
CHANNELFOG says “I’m trusting my healthy immune system…”
You and thousands like you, dying on ventilators in COVID units.
It’s infuriating that one of the loudest voices on this forum in favor of masking is refusing to get vaccinated.
You fool! I should not be required to wear a mask to protect your dumb ass.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/23/delta-variant-pfizer-covid-vaccine-39percent-effective-in-israel-prevents-severe-illness.html
Those dying from Covid are overwhelmingly those who are unvaccinated.
SBOBSERV- Never said I am opposed to medicine and I’ve had numerous vaccinations, all of which have years long proven track records. The inane, stupid drivel emanates from believing that which is not proven, namely safety and efficacy. Takes years, get it?
LOL – Channel wont trust the vast majority of medical professionals, virologists, epidemiologists that have developed cutting edge, proven vaccines that have worked for MILLIONS of people but will take some debunked anti-parasite med because some dude in Brazil thinks they got better because of it. Good luck with that!
This past week I had conversations with two different medical professionals, one a SB nurse and one an LA doctor. Both said the same thing that all of their recent hospitalized Covid patients were UNVACCINATED. The science and facts are out there but there are apparently too many ignorant people clinging to false ideas.
Its sad our health care professionals have worked to exhaustion over the the last year and when they should be getting some reprieve the hospitals are filling up again due to stupidity. They deserve better.
Dok Elmer FUD returns with more Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Needless to say, the vaccines are performing well in the UK.
https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/the-majority-of-covid-19-hospitalizations-in-the-u-k-are-among-unvaccinated-people/
Thank God our ancestors weren’t all selfish cowards or we wouldn’t have those vaccines that continued to prove themselves over the years!
How could you possibly down vote data?
What other folks do or don’t do is out of your control, so stop insisting on controlling them. Focus on yourself rather than crying for attention on this forum. Attempting to shame someone to agree with you is wrong, and only verifies your status as an obnoxious bully. This whole “agree with me or else” approach simply isn’t working, so let people live and die as they choose. Get offline and enjoy your life as YOU see fit and treat yourself to some fresh air.
It helps to have accurate data, without amateur analysis and conclusions.
The vaccines remain effective against the delta variant in the UK.
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2108891
“RESULTS
Effectiveness after one dose of vaccine (BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) was notably lower among persons with the delta variant (30.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 25.2 to 35.7) than among those with the alpha variant (48.7%; 95% CI, 45.5 to 51.7); the results were similar for both vaccines. With the BNT162b2 vaccine, the effectiveness of two doses was 93.7% (95% CI, 91.6 to 95.3) among persons with the alpha variant and 88.0% (95% CI, 85.3 to 90.1) among those with the delta variant. With the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, the effectiveness of two doses was 74.5% (95% CI, 68.4 to 79.4) among persons with the alpha variant and 67.0% (95% CI, 61.3 to 71.8) among those with the delta variant.
CONCLUSIONS
Only modest differences in vaccine effectiveness were noted with the delta variant as compared with the alpha variant after the receipt of two vaccine doses. Absolute differences in vaccine effectiveness were more marked after the receipt of the first dose. This finding would support efforts to maximize vaccine uptake with two doses among vulnerable populations. (Funded by Public Health England.)”
BABYCAKES- Yes, the name calling and general abusive tone reeks of Mob Rule, something the founding fathers feared greatly. A deeep breath of fresh air is the best suggestion I’ve heard yet! I have a 24″ diameter concrete drainage culvert to set and it is a fine day to do it.
Hard to take a deep breath of fresh air when we’re forced to wear masks to protect idiots like you.
And, like most posts by MM4865, the Portugal assertion is total social media lies.
https://fullfact.org/online/lisbon-portugal-covid-deaths/
https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2021-07-09/covid-death-numbers-controversy/60916
I’m looking for a tee-shirt that says “FREEDOM of CHOICE in red white and blue and under it, A) Vaccinate or B) cremate.
Much harder if you’re on a ventilator bubbling pink foam and struggling to live.
LooseCannon: Mask up if that is what is best for your situation.
“Mask up if that is what is best for your situation.”
BABYCAKES: The problem is, for months on end, I didn’t have a choice, did I? And I have a sneaking suspicion that the mask mandate will be re-imposed on Monday. I’m fully vaccinated, at no risk to myself or anyone else. I shouldn’t have to mask up because some people are unvaccinated, stupid, and irresponsible.
The arrogance in assuming that you know or understand what the Founding Father’s wanted is only matched by the arrogance and ignorance in the rest of this reply. Selfishness is Anti-American. Acting in your own interest over the needs of the country is the polar opposite of Patriotic.
LooseCannon: Wear your mask to protect yourself against the unvaccinated, stupid, and irresponsible amongst us. There is no other choice.
So you’re point is the information coming out of Isreal is wrong?
BABYCAKES: I don’t need to wear a mask to “protect” myself. After two Pfizer shots, I am fully protected. Instead of a universal mask mandate (which is contrary to CDC recommendations), we need to shift the focus to a UNIVERSAL VACCINE MANDATE. Macron is doing it in France, Germany is following. Here in the US, San Francisco and Pasadena are making steps in that direction by requiring city workers to get vaccinated, and in New York, De Blasio is heading in that direction, too. Locally, UCSB is going it. Private businesses need to step up, too, demand that their employees get the shot or submit to regular intrusive testing, and require customers to show proof of vaccination in order to receive goods and services. The mask mandate and hygiene theater approach has failed. Everything is headed in the direction of a UNIVERSAL MASK MANDATE. The sooner we get there, the better.
Groan…. Correction: /// Everything is headed in the direction of a UNIVERSAL VACCINE MANDATE. /// (I wish we could edit ourselves. Signing out now. Fed up with this ongoing nonsense.)
it is the “underlying conditions” which make each individual’s immune response to the vaccine differ. It takes a healthy robust immune response to fully benefit from the vaccine’s protection. So if you are older, or at all in doubt, you are better served by taking all available protections (ergo mask & hand washing) we still don’t know 4 how long the vaccines are fully effective, even for the most healthy. So given these variables, my stance is better safe than sorry, but to each his own.
If you’re fully vaccinated you no longer need a mask. If you’re exposed to covid it doesn’t matter if you can still transmit it to the unvaccinated. That’s on them if they get covid. Their has been enough time to get vaccinated. No masks are necessary anymore.
Also, in the UK, many people are receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine and Janssen vaccines which (while still good as far as vaccines go) are not as effective as Pfizer and Moderna. Id be curious to learn how many of the fully vaccinated that are getting sick have received AstraZenaca or Jannsen
Forums like this would literally be a better place without voices like yours in it.
Given that nobody was discussing Israel here except you, it is almost certain that any data mentioned are erroneous.
We have to find a way to communicate….. Beyond edhat.
No amount of peer-review can change the fact that the data is really, really old, sadly inaccurate and generally worthless by the time the study was published. The COVID landscape is changing very quickly, as evidenced by the fact that the masking mandates are returning only weeks after they were lifted. Also, how can authors refute 2 months of data that was not available to them at the time? Let’s look at all of this in a few months, where I’ll be proven correct—yet again!
It appears clear that almost everyone should get fully vaccinated, with some exceptions, such as those who suffer anaphylaxis with the first shot and are thus unable to get the second. But clearly there is still much that is not known about the virus and the variants, break through infections, and whether or not a breakthrough infection can infect others. Most experts agree that much more needs to be learned, and this should be a common sense observation also. Therefore the absolute confidence that some here have expressed that once vaccinated one need have no further concern about infecting others or of having a breakthrough infection themselves is concerning. Even more concerning is the predictable “pile-on” attacks on others who do not write in exact accordance with them. For example, at this time, I do not think I agree with CSF’s perspective on mRNA technology, especially after having a chat with my pulmonologist friend whose close associate helped develop that technology. But that doesn’t mean I have no interest in what he has to say. I am very interested in his explanation of why he thinks as he does. Because he is clearly more qualified to analyze this than the average person, his rationale is not only interesting, but perhaps there is a “loophole” or something overlooked in my confidence in that technology. His ideas could inspire a new area for me to research. While I’d likely come to the conclusion I already have about mRNA safety, I would only find myself more educated and better informed for my efforts. One need not fear new ideas if one feels capable of making one’s own conclusions. It is hurtful to see the level of derision aimed at someone who is thinking outside “lock step.”
Science would never have progressed as far as it has if the majority of researchers could not bear to hear any novel opinion. Even if a “novel opinion” is wrong, it may bring up an aspect that is of value or inspire another path of investigation that could be useful. Even the exercise of refuting can lead to strengthening knowledge. In meetings of those in the creative professions, ideas are freely thrown out with no censorship. It is expected that most of the ideas are not “winners” but by encouraging free thought and novel ideas new discoveries are more likely.
If he had any ideas, you might have a point. But all he does is try to instill fear of vaccination. Not a good thing at all.
” I am very interested in his explanation of why he thinks as he does.” —
Are you interested in the explanations of why what he says about statistics shows a complete lack of understanding of the subject?
” It is hurtful to see the level of derision aimed at someone who is thinking outside “lock step.””
— I lost track of the number of strawmen you attacked here.
Hi Bene. Full disclosure to clear up the air. I’m not anti-vax. In fact, just prior to COVID I went in for my Hep A/B and TDAP boosters. Had the lab check my childhood vaccine titers and when they came back low I got MMR boosters and my annual influenza vaccine too. I’m all caught up.
I do have legitimate, scientific concerns about the new COVID vaccines, the scale on which they’re being rolled out, and the pressure being applied on everyone to take them. Given the apparent emergency we’re in, I think these vaccines are totally appropriate for some people, though I also feel they’re totally inappropriate for others. I won’t go into details here out of the interest in keeping my reply brief and because I don’t want to start another argument.
It’s very nice to hear from you again. I do hope you’re well.
Pit – might be a bit early to be declaring victory. It’s all about vaccinations, and while we are ahead (California is at 52.5% to Florida’s 48.6%) it isn’t that much. And since we’re completely open like Florida… you presumably are celebrating a bit early.
The key is to get vaccinated… and that’s an issue throughout the country, including here as again we’re barely over 50%. Our spike is slightly behind Florida, but the trajectory is the same.
Get vaccinated everyone… it’s very very simple (and free!!!).
The disaster in Florida; they’re pushing 100,000 cases a week
:https://www.factcheck.org/2021/07/scicheck-covid-19-surges-among-unvaccinated-in-florida-contrary-to-baseless-claims/
Choose “deaths” and “Count” and hover over Florida. 103,000 deaths.
https://covid.cdc.gov/COVID-data-tracker/?submenu-select=cases_casesinlast7days#cases_deathsinlast7days
It’s apparent that post-trump in red states, many people have grown accustomed to dumpster fires everywhere, and consider it a normal condition that they should just ignore.