Covid-19 Update - January 13, 2022

According to the latest Covid-19 information, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported a record-breaking number of daily COVID-19 cases two days in a row last week.

That record was broken again for a third time on this past Saturday, January 8th, with 1,325 new positive cases. The number of people who have tested positive and are still infectious also hit a pandemic high on Tuesday, January 11th, with 6,892 active cases. Public health professionals attribute the surge to the newest Covid-19 variant Omicron.

There has also been a COVID-19 outbreak at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail that has infected 208 inmates, including one person who had to be hospitalized, according to Sheriff Bill Brown. The Sheriff’s Department plans to move some people from the Main Jail to the new Northern Branch Jail this weekend.

The Santa Barbara Unified School District began testing all students and staff for the coronavirus this week and has suspended all extracurricular sports and events until further notice.

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum announced that it would be closing for two weeks due to the rise of cases in Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History also temporarily closed through Jan. 21.

On a brighter note,

Starting Saturday, private healthcare insurers will be required to cover at-home COVID-19 tests, President Joe Biden’s administration announced Monday. Insurance companies must reimburse up to eight at-home tests per month per person, according to the White House.

A UC Santa Barbara graduate student developed a new rapid test that can detect the Omicron variant.

Stay Safe Santa Barbara!