Officials Hold Town Hall on COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts and Transition to New Distribution Plan
Congressman Salud Carbajal, top row at left, Barry Zimmerman of the Ventura County Health Care Agency, Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso, Assemblyman Steve Bennett, bottom row at left, and state Sen. Monique Limón host last week’s virtual town hall on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. (Screenshot via California Assembly Democrats’ YouTube channel) By Brooke Holland, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @BT Holland
February 3, 2021
| 8:11 p.m.
Officials with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department are hopeful that an increased supply in COVID-19 vaccines will arrive in the coming weeks, and it might be when California will transition to a new statewide distribution plan.
By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
January 22, 2021
| 6:53 p.m.
Santa Barbara County appears to have passed its explosive winter peak of COVID-19 case rates and testing positivity, Public Health officials said Friday at their weekly COVID briefing.
But they warned that the community should not become complacent, noting that the number of deaths remains high including 11 announced on Friday.
“This is really encouraging news,” Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said. “However, I do want to share that we are not out of the woods yet.”
Public Health data shows that case rates and testing positivity peaked in the county on Jan. 9, and have been trending downward since, Do-Reynoso said.
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Santa Barbara County Could Start Vaccinating People Age 65+ Next Week
State expands COVID-19 vaccine eligibility; Public Health Department expects to open mass vaccination community sites in the spring
Healthcare workers at Lompoc Valley Medical Center get COVID-19 vaccines in early January. (Lompoc Valley Medical Center photo) By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
January 13, 2021
| 6:34 p.m.
The first batches of COVID-19 vaccines have been given mostly to healthcare workers, but a large group of community members could start getting access next week: people over the age of 65.
Santa Barbara County follows California’s phased system for vaccine distribution, and is on the cusp of finishing the first priority groups of healthcare workers, emergency medical services workers, and staff and residents of long-term care facilities like skilled nursing homes.
Santa Barbara County Never Executed Lease for Sears Building COVID-19 Alternate Care Site
Public health officials say expansion within the local hospital campuses is now the preferred approach to increasing capacity
Santa Barbara County pursued leasing the former Sears building in La Cumbre Plaza as an alternate care site for COVID-19 patients, but did not execute the agreement. (Giana Magnoli / Noozhawk photo) By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
January 12, 2021
| 5:34 p.m.
The Board of Supervisors approved a lease to turn the former Sears building into a facility to treat overflow COVID-19 patients, but Santa Barbara County never executed the agreement.