Noozhawk
The freshest news in Santa Barbara County
COVID-19 cases increased in the past week in Santa Barbara County, according to the county Public Health Department‘s COVID-19 Dashboard. The average number of confirmed cases increased 43.4%.
The county reported a seven-day average of 67.71 cases a day in the week ending Nov. 29.
There were four reported COVID-19-related deaths last week, with a total of 739 COVID-related deaths in the county since the beginning of the pandemic.
The seven-day test positivity rate in the county was 9.1% as of Tuesday.
On Thursday, there were 46 COVID-19-positive patients hospitalized throughout the county and six in intensive-care units.
Santa Barbara County remains in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s low COVID-19 community level.
BQ.1.1 is the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County and throughout the United States.
As of Thursday, Santa Barbara County providers had administered 937,043 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the statewide vaccine tracker. Also in the county, 69.8% of residents had completed their primary series of the vaccine, 59.1% of residents had received their booster shot and 19.4% of residents had received the bivalent booster shot.
Keep up with Noozhawk’s daily COVID-19 coverage, delivered at 4:15 a.m. right to your inbox.
The bivalent booster vaccine is now approved for children as young as 6 months old, according to a news release published by the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., said in the release that it is important for more people to get vaccinated heading into the winter months with more social gatherings that will be held indoors.
People can now get tested for the flu when they get tested for COVID-19, according to a statement published Friday by the California Department of Public Health. The department is expanding its testing program to include flu testing at COVID-19 testing sites. Flu testing, like COVID-19 testing, will be free of charge. To find a testing site, visit publichealthsbc.org.
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Noozhawk’s COVID-19 Update 12.7.2022
County Public Health Reports Increase in Local COVID-19 Cases, Test Positivity Rate
Noozhawk’s COVID-19 Update 11.30.2022
Noozhawk staff writer Grace Kitayama can be reached at gkitayama@noozhawk.com.
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