Covid-19 Update: May 4, 2022

A Small Spike in Cases

Although Covid-19 hospitalizations remain low in the county, there has been an increase in the number of cases by approximately 20%.

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reports 382 cases as of May 2nd with 10 patients in county hospitals with two in the ICU and one on a ventilator.

As of last week, mask mandates were lifted on most public transportation facilities included Santa Barbara Airport, Amtrak, and Metro Transit buses. The CDC still strongly recommends people wear masks in indoor public settings.

Vaccinations in the County

Public Health reports that 68.7% of residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The majority of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths have been among those who remain unvaccinated.

Everyone ages five and up is eligible to be vaccinated. Children ages 5 to 11 receive a dose one-third the amount that is given to adults and a smaller needle is used. More info about pediatric doses of the vaccine is available on the Public Health website.

Unvaccinated individuals are 5.7 times more likely to get COVID-19, 8.6 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 10.9 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who are vaccinated and received a booster dose, according to Public Health.

Of the 87,000 cases since the start of the pandemic, there have been 683 COVID-related deaths.

Find more local pandemic-related information on the Public Health Department website.