The Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health reported 360 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the highest single-day count since the pandemic began in March.
The most recent report brings the county’s total case to 13,557 residents who tested positive for COVID-19, while the confirmed death toll remained at 140 as of Monday, according to the Department of Public Health.
The dramatic increase in new COVID-19 cases falls just over two weeks after the Thanksgiving holidays, as predicted by local health officials, and is directly related to family and friend meetings.
“Today’s positive case count surpasses any daily count we’ve seen to date and underscores the predictions we’ve predicted if people continue to meet with those who are away from their nearby homes,” he said in a public health director Van Do-Reynoso said. “We are in a critical state of emergency with the availability of ICU (intensive care unit) beds declining at a rapid pace.”
The Department of Public Health is working as quickly as possible to track contacts of all those who test positive amid an alarming increase in cases, according to the county’s Joint COVID-19 Information Center.
However, the resources “extend beyond anything that had been seen before, even with capacity-building plans,” Do-Reynoso said.
The COVID-19 Joint Information Center is asking for assistance from the public in efforts to locate contacts.
“It is critical that the citizenry helps,” department officials said. “If people have tested positive for the virus, they should take immediate action to stay home and isolate themselves from others, following isolation guidelines and notifying other people who have been in close contact.”
COVID-19 ICU numbers and hospitalizations continue to rise steadily throughout the county.
There were 75 confirmed COVID-19 patients treated at local hospitals, an increase from 73 the day before. Of these, 21 people were in the ICU, an increase from 17 in the last 24 hours.
Of the new COVID-19 cases on Monday, Santa Maria had 136, Santa Bàrbara had 68 and Lompoc had 35.
Goleta and Orcutt reported 19 new cases, the Montecito-Summerland-Carpinteria area had 16, Isla Vista had 14, the unincorporated area of Northern County had 10, and the Santa Ynez Valley had six.
Seven new COVID-19 cases came from the Lompoc federal correctional complex and seven also came from the unincorporated area of the Goleta and Gaviota valleys.
There were 23 pending cases of geographical locations.
“We’ve reached a case count that surpasses all previous records,” Do-Reynoso said. “It is imperative that everyone act now and stay at home.
“We are reaching a point where we can see on the horizon that our healthcare system is outdated,” he continued. “We need to take immediate action as our decisions are seeing the price to pay and it is costing the lives and well-being of members of our community.”
Santa Barbara County recorded more than 335 new cases of COVID-19 on two consecutive days over the weekend, according to the Department of Public Health.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County was announced on March 15th.
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited a Los Angeles County hospital where COVID-19 vaccines were produced against Pfizer. Health workers were among the first in California to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Newsom office.
“It’s a day where we can claim the fresh air of progress in the face of that stale air of normalcy,” Newsom told a news conference on the outskirts of the Kaiser Permanent in Los Angeles. “However, as said, we need to be sober and aware of the moment we are in, which is a challenge and an attempt.”
Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Authorization for Emergency Use for the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine, the Western States Scientific Safety Review Working Group went completed the review of the federal process on Sunday and confirmed that the vaccine is effective and safe, the Newsom office said in a statement.
The group gave its confirmation to the governors of California, Oregon, Nevada and Washington.
Newsom also launched the new “Vaccinate All 58” campaign, advocating for a safe, fair, and equitable vaccine for all California counties.
“Across California, vaccines will be administered in phases prioritizing groups according to risk and level of exposure,” the governor’s office said. “Initial doses will be targeted at California’s essential health workers and those who are among the most vulnerable in long-term care settings.”
Last week, during Santa Barbara County’s weekly television press conference, Jan Koegler of the county’s Department of Public Health said the first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was expected to arrive in Santa County. Barbara from this week.
Vaccines will be administered in two phases in the county, following the California Department of Public Health’s prioritization guidelines.
Some of the first doses of COVID-19 will be given to hospital workers, staff and residents of assisted living facilities, specialist nursing and other licensed care centers, as well as emergency medical staff and dialysis staff.
At Tuesday’s virtual meeting of the Board of Supervisors, public health officials are expected to present the status of COVID-19 cases locally, the county’s latest response to the pandemic, as well as detail county-specific guidance. for the reopening of companies.
Residents who want to watch the meeting live can watch it on the county’s YouTube channel, online, or on the CSBTV 20 channel. The meeting will begin at 9 p.m.
Face-to-face meetings are closed to the public to try to combat the spread of COVID-19, but real-time public comments can be made by phone during the meeting or emailed before the meeting.
Last week, supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter to Newsom asking the county, in addition to neighboring Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties, to leave the Southern California region in order to remain in the county. state.
California officials asked county public health leaders for input on a regional approach a few months ago. Local public health officials defended a smaller region of the central coast, but were overturned by the state.
Santa Barbara County is grouped in the Southern California region along with San Luis Obispo, Ventura, Los Angeles, Imperial, Inyo, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.
The stay-at-home order went into effect last week because the availability of the regional intensive care unit fell below 15%, prompting closures and restrictions despite the county’s ICU availability. of Santa Barbara is not below the state threshold.
The stay-at-home order will remain in effect for at least three weeks.
The available capacity in the ICU of the Southern California region was reported at 2.7% on Monday, while the availability in the ICU of Santa Barbara County was over 38%.
The daily situation of COVID-19 in Ventura County was even worse Monday, and local public health officials reported more than 2,000 new cases of COVID-19.
During a news conference Monday, Dr. Robert Levin, a public health officer in Ventura County, said 204 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the county and 49 of COVID-19 patients were treated in the ICU. .
This means that only 1.4% of ICU capacity was available as of Monday.
“If a hospital were a car, it would be shaking now,” said Levin, who added, “People who don’t need to die will die.”
Recently, there have been dozens of outbreaks of COVID-19 in nursing homes and long-term care homes, and cases were reported last week in more than 80 companies.
COVID-19-positive patients occupy more hospital beds, while the county sees the same amount of heart attacks, cases of appendicitis and other non-pandemic-related medical problems.
Ventura County Medical Center hospitalist, ICU and family doctor Dr. Mark Lepore said hospitals are reaching capacity and will exceed it.
What it looks like is to show up at the hospital and not have a room to go in or have a staff member available to care for people.
San Luis Obispo public health officials reported 259 new cases of COVID-19 in three days, bringing the total to more than 7,710 as of Monday.
San Luis Obispo County reported Monday 29 COVID-19 positive patients at local hospitals, including eight in ICUs.
Meanwhile, seven additional employees in the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department tested positive for COVID-19 recently, said Raquel Zick, the sheriff’s public information officer.
Zick said 57 sheriff employees have tested positive, with 48 recovered from COVID-19 and back to work.
The latest cases of COVID-19 occurred between five custodial deputies, a deputy sheriff and a non-sworn staff member.
“The five custodial deputies wore an PPE (personal protective equipment) constantly while interacting with inmates,” said Zick, who later added, “The deputy wore a mask constantly while working.”
The non-sworn staff member worked in a position that did not involve contact with the public or inmates, according to Zick.
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