Public Health Updates Community on Vaccination Status

By edhat staff

Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) officials updated the community on vaccinations during a press conference on Friday afternoon.

Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso stated the county will continue prioritizing vaccinations for healthcare workers who are active with patient care and residents age 75 and older. Those who are eligible who have not received their vaccine yet should sign up for the PHD newsletter or call 2-1-1 and select option 4. 

The next group to be eligible for vaccinations will be people aged 65 and older and those at risk of exposure in the education, childcare, emergency medical services, and food/grocery/agriculture occupations.

In a few weeks, California will transition to a unified statewide network to allow healthcare providers to streamline the vaccination process. The system is called “My Turn” and Blue Shield has been selected to allocate vaccines to pharmacies, hospitals, and community health centers.

PHD will continue to serve as a safety net for those unable to access the healthcare system such as the homeless, mentally ill, substance abuse, and undocumented communities, said Dr. Do-Reynoso.

Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg confirmed the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have 95% efficacy with very few significant reactions after three million doses administered in California.

Johnson & Johnson hopes to apply for emergency FDA authorization next week and stated their vaccine is 72% successful in preventing COVID-19 in the United States population.The advantage of this new vaccine is only one dose is needed and it can be stored for three months in normal refrigerator temperatures. 

If approved, this new vaccine will be available by mid-February with its 7 million doses and 30 million doses available by the end of April.

The Numbers

The numbers are gradually improving but they’re still unacceptably high and the county still needs to maintain diligence in preventing spread, said Dr. Do-Reynoso.

PHD reported 406 new cases and four deaths on Friday. Three individuals were 70+ and one was 50-69 years old. Three had underlying medical conditions. Two deaths were associated with an outbreak at a congregate facility.

There have now been 289 deaths.

Currently, there are 1,612 active cases in the community. Of those, 180 are hospitalized with 48 in the ICU.

Santa Barbara County’s ICU availability is 16.7%.

COVID-19 Positive Inmate Population Declining

One additional Sheriff’s Deputy has been found to be COVID-19 positive while the number of COVID-19 positive inmates is declining. With this additional deputy, the total number of Sheriff’s employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 is 106, with 94 having recovered and returned to work.

There have been no additional COVID-19 positive inmates since our last press release and eight inmates have since recovered, leaving six active cases. The total number of inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Main Jail remains at 161.