Edhat Staff
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) reports an additional four confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county today. The total number of confirmed cases is 477 of which 326 have fully recovered.
Ninety-nine (99) people are recovering at home, Thirty-nine (39) are recovering in a hospital, twelve (12) of whom are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and six (6) are pending an update. Seven (7) deaths have been reported.
Please visit Santa Barbara County’s coronavirus web page for other preparedness resources and updates at https://publichealthsbc.org/.
For general questions about COVID-19 and precautions currently recommended by Santa Barbara County Public Health, residents may call the 2-1-1 Call Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by dialing 2-1-1 if calling from within the county; or (800) 400-1572 if calling from outside the area.
Cottage Health Numbers
Below is a status update as of April 28, 2020.
- Cottage Health is caring for a total of 218 patients across all campuses.
- 171 are acute care patients; 202 acute care beds remain available.
- In surge planning, capacity is identified for adding 270 acute care beds.
- Of the 171 patients, 11 patients are on ventilators; 59 ventilators remain available (adult, pediatric and neonatal ventilators)
- Of the 171 patients, 16 are in isolation with COVID-19 symptoms; 5 are confirmed COVID-19 positive.
- Of 16 patients in isolation, 5 patients are in critical care.
- Cottage has collected 3,170 cumulative test samples: 198 resulted in positive, 2,778 resulted in negative, and 194 are pending. In most of these tests, patients did not require hospital admission.
Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties
As of Tuesday, San Luis Obispo County reports 173 confirmed cases. Of those, 135 have recovered, 32 are quarantined at home, 5 are hospitalized, and there has been 1 death
In Ventura County, there are 508 confirmed cases. Of those, 356 have recovered, 135 are quarantined at home, 26 are hospitalized with 11 in the ICU. There have been 17 deaths.
Monday Update: 473 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) reports an additional two confirmed cases of COVID-19 during a press conference today. The total number of confirmed cases is 473 of which 322 have fully recovered.
One new case is a person who is incarcerated at the Federal Prison in Lompoc and part of the identified outbreak.
Ninety-nine people are recovering at home, thirty-eight are recovering in a hospital, eleven of whom are in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and seven are pending an update. Seven deaths have been reported.
There have been 59 healthcare workers included in the total confirmed COVID-19 cases. PHD confirmed the majority have recovered and are back at work, however they did not have a specific number available. More information about the demographics of each case can be found here.
PHD Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg stated the seventh death reported on Saturday was a person in their 70’s with underlying health conditions who resided in the unincorporated Goleta/Gaviota area. He also corrected his previous statement from last week and stated the sixth death did not take place at the Lompoc Hospital.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart addressed the issue of visiting beaches this past weekend and reminded residents to continue physical distancing.
Hart described how the Sheriff’s Office had deputies patrolling the sand from Gaviota to Rincon as well as trailheads, lifeguards were controlling access to Hendry’s Beach, park staff were monitoring parks, Santa Barbara City Police and firefighters provided a visible presence along the waterfront, and four electronic message boards were posted on Cabrillo Blvd.
Various parking lots were reduced to limit the number of people visiting beaches and parks. Many citations were written to those who parked illegally or in surrounding neighborhoods and even more enforcement is expected this weekend, said Hart.
“I’ll say it again, if you go to a park or a beach or trailhead and there are already too many people there, go somewhere else,” he said.
When asked what people should worry about when going to the beach, Dr. Ansorg stated the biggest risk factor is physical distancing.
Traces of COVID-19 RNA are found in sewage which some remnants will be found in the ocean, but these particles will not make you sick, said Dr. Ansorg. Getting too close to other people to be exposed to droplets is the biggest factor. He encouraged everyone to remain at a distance or else they will have to close the beaches.
Cottage Health Numbers
Below is a status update as of April 27, 2020.
- Cottage Health is caring for a total of 207 patients across all campuses.
- 155 are acute care patients; 218 acute care beds remain available.
- In surge planning, capacity is identified for adding 270 acute care beds.
- Of the 155 patients, 10 patients are on ventilators; 60 ventilators remain available (adult, pediatric and neonatal ventilators)
- Of the 155 patients, 15 are in isolation with COVID-19 symptoms; 6 are confirmed COVID-19 positive.Of 15 patients in isolation, 5 patients are in critical care.
- Cottage has collected 2,993 cumulative test samples: 197 resulted in positive, 2,624 resulted in negative, and 172 are pending. In most of these tests, patients did not require hospital admission.
Ventura & SLO Counties
As of Monday, San Luis Obispo County is reporting 169 total confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of the total cases, 126 have fully recovered, 38 are under quarantine at home, 4 are hospitalized, and there has been 1 death.
Ventura County is reporting a total of 497 cases. Of the total cases, 271 have recovered, 209 are under quarantine at home, 29 are hospitalized with 7 of those in the ICU, and there have been 17 deaths.
Holy cow – when you exclude Lompoc prison we are getting just a couple cases a day. Just 15 hospital beds in use due to CV – which is probably what would be used anyway for people with underlining health conditions during flu season. The primary reason for the shut down was to make sure hospitals would not be overrun. It is time to get people back to work. If you are high risk person please take extra precaution. If you are not high risk but are around high risk people, then take extra precaution. Else use common sense – i.e. masks, wash hands, avoid crowds, etc… Gavin needs to get off his grandstand and realize that people do not want to be dependent on gov’t hand outs and prefer to provide for themselves.
The curve is flattened and we’ve thwarted any chance of a surge overtaking our county hospitals. So when do we get to stick our toes back into life here in SB County? We are NOT New York City. This is getting ridiculous.
Bebe at 9:49 – The curve is not static. If you stop social distancing, it begins to curve up again as infections start happening at a greater rate.
If you use common sense, you stay the course until conditions are better. This isn’t an instant gratification situation.
10:54 – wearing a mask while walking around the block does absolutely nothing. These masks are really useless for the most part. Just keep your distance, avoid crowded areas and wash your hands. No masks needed!
XANTUS – You’re confused. Wearing a mask is not the same as distancing. Yeah, the cops aren’t wearing masks, likely because they really are useless, and they can’t social distance if they’re arresting someone, now can they?
SHASTA – you’re wildly off here. The virus is no where NEAR 95% “containment” or any other comparable form of mitigation. There is no cure, people are still dying every die from it. How on earth do you compare this to 95% containment?
SAM – you keep saying end the lockdown, but keep distancing. The problem is, most businesses that are closed are closed for the very reason that it is impossible to social distance if they are open. For example, bars, barbers, concert venues, etc. How are you supposed to open these up, when the very nature of their business depends on close interactions?
Barbers are already include in phase 1 with guidelines from the PHD, with the 6′ spacing requirement some chairs will need to be moved or not used. It will be a while before concerts and bars (at least as we knew them) open up. We can’t go from 0-100% in a day, and we can’t just wait at 0 until we’re ready for 100%, there are many steps in between.
Antibody tests support what’s been obvious: Covid-19 is much more lethal than the flu.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/antibody-tests-support-whats-been-obvious-covid-19-is-much-more-lethal-than-flu/2020/04/28/2fc215d8-87f7-11ea-ac8a-fe9b8088e101_story.html
NEWSFLASH: You can now purchase an antibody test directly on the Quest website if you sign up for QuestDirect account (or already have one). It’s $119 + $10 service fee and there are appointments as early as next week at the SB location. No doctor visit, note, Rx required.
Actually, an Rx is required. According to the Quest website you cite: ” Quest Diagnostics is now offering COVID-19 IMMUNE RESPONSE (antibody) testing by appointment at our Patient Service Centers, with a doctor’s prescription.” Also, as I’ve posted several time here, these IgM/IgG tests are unreliable, which is even stated on the Quest website. “Negative results do not rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection…Positive results may be due to past or present infection with non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains”. Make sure you include these disclaimers when promoting a non-FDA approved test.
CSF, you are a scientist so you should know where these numbers come from. 1) We have no idea what percentage will ultimately be tested positive as we have conducted relativity few tests yet; also, there is constant speculation that if you test “negative” now, you may test positive at a later date. An example, suppose you were tested for the common cold virus now and were shown to be negative; but next January, you get a cold and would be shown to be “positive”. My point is to err on the high side, assume everyone will/may get it at some point, so do we continue to wait for the numbers to reach zero, which could take years, or get back to normal life now? That is why I could care less about locals clamoring that “everyone needs to get tested.” 2) Yes, the figures are also changing regarding percentage that have died. It may be .018% now, could go higher, or could go slightly lower if we could ever get an accurate population census taken – the point is that we don’t really have the data to show how many of these deaths being reported were actually caused by the virus or were caused by those other conditions that the virus contributed to. The CDC estimates that deaths from the flu range from about 20,000-60,000 in the U.S. annually – a pretty large range, I’d say, and that is because of the same reason I am claiming. So if we use the high estimate, that’s essentially where we will be with COVID19. I’m not saying your numbers are incorrect at this point, but just like all data, it is useless until there is a verifiable mathematical analysis of that data. But my premise remains the same – we have relatively few numbers of people here in Santa Barbara County and elsewhere that have died, or will die from this virus, so let’s reopen our businesses and try to get our entire local and national economy back on track instead or worrying constantly that we might find ourselves in that .018% category. If we adhere to that, we might as well spend our entire lives wrapped in a sterile cocoon inside our hermetically sealed homes.
That is not what the article stated. In fact, it stated It said rates of infection are much higher that believed, which we already know, and that would lower the death rate, not increase it. But in typical MSM “news” two epidemiologist’s opinions said, among other “potential” claims, that it could be “20 times greater than the flu”;then the article contradicts that claim in various statements, which is probably why this “news” source is often referred to as the “Washington Compost”. We have seven deaths in Santa Barbara county so far, if, indeed they were actually caused by COVID-19, and virtually all to victims with underlying health conditions, probably including drug addiction and obesity. That is a .0000157 death rate – and you are worried that the virus is “much more lethal than the flu”?
Thank you bigone. It makes me happy that people share at least some of my feelings here. I am so ready to start the economic engine back up.
Sam the dog-“We can’t go from 0-100% in a day, and we can’t just wait at 0 until we’re ready for 100%, there are many steps in between”. This probably the best sentence I’ve heard in regards to opening the economy. It seems there are people that just want to hide inside for the rest of their lives but that just isn’t an option for many including myself.
Quest site also states that “This test may NOT be helpful if you are:
Directly exposed to COVID-19 in the past 14 days” … so if we are to believe the “there are asymptomatic spreaders everywhere” meme… then how useful can this test actually be 😉 if half the county population shelled out for this test? that’s about 30 million$ to Quest.
if “covid 19” was “more lethal” than the flu…. there would be zero asymptomatic cases..
look up “asymptomatic Influenza”…. it basically doesn’t exist. if you get exposed to the flu… YER GETTIN THE FLU, immune system response overwhelmed within 24-48 hours of exposure… that… is lethality and virulence. Now what do we know about Covid19? that you can be “asymptomatically spreading for 1 to 3 weeks” . because even with weeks of uncontrolled replication within the body… Covid still does not develop enough strength to trigger an immune system response. . please, someone call me a science denier. I dare you 😉
For all those still spouting nonsense about pandemic health measures killing more people than the virus because of economic recession:
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https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/04/recessions-dont-lead-to-an-overall-increase-in-deaths/
Ars Technica? really? that’s your bombshell source? you at least could have linked the Nature article that Ars totally piggybacked ontop of. — https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00210-0#ref-CR1 — and the answer is, naturally, way more complicated than you present. It’s actually quite a long and decent article, and they frame it as “Tenuous Benefits of Economic Crises”
“Flattening” the curve is all about keeping the number of infections under health care capacity so that those who are infected have care available to them. It doesn’t do anything to reduce the total number of cases — it merely spreads those same number of cases over a longer period of time.
If anything we have flattened the curve too much as we still have excess healthcare capacity – that is why we need to do the partial reopenings. Finding the right balance to get to herd immunity is the key.
If you use an umbrella in a rainstorm and it keeps you dry, do you say, “Hey, I’m dry, I’ll just shut my umbrella,” even though it’s still raining? We have to figure out how heavily it’s raining first, and we need testing to do that.
For someone who thinks he’s incredibly smart, you sure are dense, CSF. Hung up on semantics when what I said is perfectly acceptable given how the process actually pans out. A doctor’s VISIT is not required. A person is NOT REQUIRED TO PHYSICALLY VISIT A DOCTOR, which is an additional step/cost/expedition into the world/etc. The online rubber stamper does the work for you. I stated a $10 fee. Do you want me to issue a written apology for stating that an “Rx” is not required when technically one is – provided by the in-house rubber stamper software “Dr.”? You’re just being pedantic because you can’t deal with being wrong. I love pedants. It’s sexy AF when someone is correct, but you’re just petty.
A month ago as a community we really didn’t know how practice social or physical distancing, or practice strong hygiene skills in public. Now we do. All the elderly I know are safely cocooned up by their families, friends, and neighbors. We finally have the skills to ease the lockdown in my opinion. Maintain physical distancing for the elderly and vulnerable, but start opening things up for everybody else. It won’t be perfect, and we can always take a step back if the case rate acceleration begins to climb.
SBROSES: You wrote, “It’s the blood antibody test from Abbott. This IS FDA approved.” Please read the last line on page 7 where it states: “This test has not been FDA cleared or approved;” (https://www.fda.gov/media/136522/download)
It was a comparison to a wildfire. By the time a wildfire has 95% containment, there still shouldn’t be 1000s out of their homes because the mandatory evacuations weren’t lifted. That would be gross incompetence, causing people needless hardship.
what seems to be established here is that the testing on offer from Quest does not have a high enough degree of reliability to be worth more than “entertainment and conjecture”. If i’m going to pay 130$ for a test… it’s gotta actually work. What more do we have to look forward to in Newsom’s Phase 1 of “Rapid expansion of testing capability”?
IMO, we need to keep restrictions in place until we’re completely sure that we’ve flattened the curve enough. For some reason, the numbers in the couple days after a weekend always tend to be low. I don’t know if it’s because agencies are not reporting weekend numbers as much or something else, but this seems to happen for both SB county and all over CA (if you look at the LA Times analysis). Also, the fact that our numbers are lower than other CA counties means that we’ve been doing the right thing, so we shouldn’t do something rash (like open everything back up) that will defeat what we’ve already accomplished. Covid-19 is easily transmissible, and there are nearby counties all around us with high numbers of cases. It would be so easy for one or a couple contagious people to enter our county from a neighboring one.
We’re not only depending on theoretical “models”. We have historical data from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic to learn from. Back then, they had more than one wave of the flu. They say the 2nd wave was the worst in most places, especially in cities that started relaxing restrictions too early.
Here’s a National Geographic analysis of the 1918 pandemic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/03/how-cities-flattened-curve-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic-coronavirus/
Bad analogy AHCHOO. It’s more like standing there in the rain (covid), refusing to move the umbrella (stay at home) then get hit by a car (the economy) crossing the street because you didn’t move your umbrella.
I think AHCHOOO’s umbrella analogy is right on. And MACPUZL. Stay the course as we knock down the numbers and transition to testing & contact tracing. This is a formula for success. Opening up too early guarantees trouble.
tell me more about that physical distancing.
notice how the cops in the photo sure as shit ain’t wearin masks.
https://newspress.com/number-of-new-covid-19-cases-continues-to-dwindle-hart-says-more-enforcement-to-come-at-beaches-this-weekend/
Except for a few regular commenters here, the rest of the population seems to have lost their minds. It doesn’t matter HOW MANY people are tested positive, and assume everyone either has it or will get it at some point in their life like a cold or a flu virus. Isolation has not worked. This is has gotten ridiculous – people are worried because 1% of the US population has died from this – with at least 95% of those people having other health issues that contributed to their demise. Stop the lockdown masquerading as the euphemistic “shelter in place”, shed those ridiculous masks, stop shaming people who refuse to obey the quarantine” orders, and open our businesses, and economy now! “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – Benjamin Franklin
I think soon the lockdown restrictions will be perceived of by many the same way the Berlin Wall was seen by the East Berliners. People will only see how the lock down is endangering their ability to live. There will be no stopping it except by government force/coercion. I think the beach crowds last weekend were similar to those standing in the Berlin Wall.
We must keep the lockdown in place. It appears to be working.
Many of us have to do the grocery shopping and other essential errands. My husband and I have “underlying conditions,” but he is still working.
Most people I see on my daily exercise walks are not wearing masks. The beaches are often crowded.
Hope the flattened curve does not rise.
People, please don’t be complacent!
Amen!
Those that wear masks and hide under their beds are just compromising their immune system. You need exposure to build immunity, germaphobes will be the first to get sick and get it the worst because you have no immune system. Stop with the masks, gloves and constantly washing your hands, you’re only compromising your own immunity.
It’s like the end stage of a wildfire at 95% containment, but they insist on maintaining the mandatory evacuations keeping thousands out of their homes. Let’s keep a protective bubble around our seniors, but the less vulnerable need their jobs back.
nobody actually knows that for a fact. they just think that will happen because of ‘models’. just like they thought 2 million + were going to die? if you never let the counter to your hypothesis be tested… how scientific can it be? If you open things back up… and then there is this huge surge… hey guess what, public opinion will actually have something real to be based on.
Mac, no one is saying we should stop social distancing. END THE LOCKDOWN!
What you are saying is essentially: Physical distancing is working! We must stop it now and kill more people and do more damage to the economy in the long run!