Covid-19 Update: Feb. 6, 2022
New Statistics
In light of the recent Covid-19 variant Omricon, Santa Barbara County has experienced rising Covid-19 cases with associated hospitalizations this past month of January.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported 447 new COVID-19 cases and two additional coronavirus-related deaths on February 4, 2022.
Both deaths were of individuals age 70 or older with underlying medical conditions, and one death was associated with a congregate care site. One of the individuals resided in the Santa Ynez Valley, while the other resided in the Lompoc Valley.
The Community Data Dashboard states that 118 COVID-19-positive people were hospitalized throughout the county, with 17 of these patients being treated in intensive-care units.
The good news is Santa Barbara seems to be coming off of a peak in new cases
Lompoc Valley Medical Center CEO Steve Popkins said that patients with COVID-19 at LVMC during the Omicron surge peaked about two weeks ago with 23 hospitalizations, four of them in the ICU.
“Today, we are down 61% from that peak. The other hospitals in the county peaked a week or so before LVMC, but have declined significantly from their respective peaks, as well.”
COVID-19 hospitalizations do appear to be continuing to decline, but at a slower pace.
New Information
Public Health reports 89% of local Covid-19 deaths were among unvaccinated residents
The Public Health Department reported that since May 2021, Santa Barbara County residents who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 have made up:
63% of cases as of Jan. 20th, 2022
79% of hospitalizations as of December 2021
89% of deaths
The FDA has given full approval of the Moderna vaccine
Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are both fully approved. The pediatric Pfizer vaccine (for 5-11-year-olds) and Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available with emergency-use authorization. All of these vaccines have been shown in trials and real-world studies to reduce the risk of infection, severe illness and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The California Public Health Department reports that unvaccinated people have been more likely to get infected with the novel coronavirus than fully vaccinated people, more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and more likely to die from Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people.
To find more information about Covid-19 vaccines and find a provider near you, visit https://publichealthsbc.org/vaccine/ on the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department website.
Vaccines are authorized for use in everyone 5 years old and older, and pediatric vaccines for younger children could be approved in the next few months, according to public health officials.