[Editor’s note: Noozhawk’s weekly COVID-19 email newsletter is delivered to subscribers on Wednesdays. You can sign up here. We are republishing the newsletters on the website so more readers have access to them.]
Welcome to Noozhawk’s Weekly COVID-19 Briefing.
I’m Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz with the latest COVID-19 news in Santa Barbara County.
This newsletter is a way for Noozhawk readers to get important updates in one place.
It is emailed out every Wednesday, for free, to everyone who subscribes.
Here’s What We Know
» COVID-19 data for Santa Barbara County is now being updated on a new dashboard using state data. Less localized information is available on the new dashboard, such as ages and area of residence for people who have tested positive for the virus.
» Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and state officials have not reported new COVID-19 data this week, likely due to the Independence Day holiday Monday.
» As of Friday, public health officials have reported 95,214 COVID-19 cases in the county and 699 related deaths.
» The number of new cases being reported is declining compared to previous weeks.
» As of Friday, there were 26 coronavirus-positive people hospitalized in the county, which is fewer than the previous Friday’s count.
Thousands of people watch Monday night’s Fourth of July fireworks show at Santa Barbara’s West Beach. (Ray Ford / Noozhawk photo)
» Fourth of July fireworks shows, parades, concerts and beach days returned this week after two years of canceled or downsized events in Santa Barbara County.
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
COVID-19 vaccines are now available for everyone over 6 months old and booster doses are available for anyone over age 5.
To get vaccinated, those who are eligible — or parents of eligible children — can contact their health-care providers, pharmacies, or use vaccines.gov to find nearby COVID-19 vaccine providers.
According to the county COVID-19 data dashboard, 73.1% of locals have completed the primary vaccine series.
The Public Health Department now uses California Department of Public Health data on its dashboard, and the state uses different age groups for reporting COVID-19 vaccination by age than the county did.
The current dashboard reports that 30.9% of Santa Barbara County children ages 5 to 11 have been fully vaccinated and 62.6% of the 12-to-17-year-old population has been fully vaccinated.
The population of individuals 65 years old and older have the highest vaccination rate in the county at 92.9% fully vaccinated, followed by 50-to-64-year-olds at 84% and the 18-to-49 population at 72.1%.
The county has not yet reported any vaccination data for children age 6 months to 4 years old, who became eligible for the shots two weeks ago.
Reader Resources
» Find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you on the Vaccine Finder search function of https://www.vaccines.gov/search/. You can search for providers by location and by specific vaccine available (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson). You can also find providers on the county website, publichealthsbc.org/vaccine, or at myturn.ca.gov. Some facilities offer walk-ups as well as appointments.
» Text your ZIP code to GETVAX (438829) for a list of vaccine providers in English, or text your ZIP code to VACUNA (822862) for a list in Spanish.
» There are free COVID-19 testing facilities around the county.
» Find more local pandemic-related information on the Public Health Department website and the county’s COVID-19 recovery page, with resources for business reopening, rental assistance, food assistance and more.
» Click here for Noozhawk’s complete Coronavirus Crisis coverage.
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— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
