By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
February 1, 2021
| 5:52 p.m.
Public health officials on Monday reported that four more South Coast residents and three people who lived in the Santa Maria Valley have died of COVID-19, which shows the continuing impact of the novel coronavirus deadly wintertime surge in Santa Barbara County.
Six of the seven were over the age of 70, and one person was in their 30s or 40s.
The county s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 298.
Another 265 new positive cases were reported Monday, and 424 were reported over the weekend.
While the state lifted the stay-at-home order last week, Public Health Department Director Van Do-Reynoso said Santa Barbara County is still in a precarious position with relatively high numbers of hospitalizations and active cases (people who recently tested positive and are still infectious).
Skilled-nursing, assisted-living and other communities serving older adults are prioritized for vaccines, which are in limited supply
Residents have not been scheduled for COVID-19 vaccine appointments yet at Oak Cottage of Santa Barbara at 1820 De la Vina St., a retirement community specializing in dementia care and Alzheimer’s disease. Oak Cottage and many other long-term care communities are eligible for vaccines, but there are limited supplies for the thousands of waiting residents. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo) By Brooke Holland, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @BT Holland
January 20, 2021
| 8:46 p.m.
Deanna Zachrisson doesn’t know when her husband, a 75-year-old veteran living at Oak Cottage of Santa Barbara, will get his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
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.
County Public Health Leaders Discourage Holiday Travel, Gatherings to Quell Surge of COVID-19
The recommendations are the same as before Thanksgiving, but with more urgency; a free rapid testing site is offered every Thursday in Lompoc
“The risk of getting infected is very high,” Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg says in urging people to celebrate holidays safely by avoiding travel or gathering with friends and family. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo) By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
December 23, 2020
| 9:03 p.m.
Santa Barbara County Public Health authorities and other officials have urged people not to travel or gather with family and friends for the holidays, since the county and the rest of state is in the worst surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.