This week, COVID-19 exploded in Santa Barbara County so much that the Public Health Department had to extend the axes on the graphs that track virus data.
The eruption in cases is a direct result of holiday gatherings and COVID fatigue, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said at the Friday press conference. Before the holidays, Do-Reynoso warned the public that COVID data was the highest it’s ever been and drastic measures needed to be taken to slow it down. On Friday, she shared that the data has skyrocketed since then.
“At that time, our numbers were soaring, and I was fearful that if people gathered we would have a surge on top of a surge,” Do-Reynoso said. “The data I am going to present to you today is almost twice as high as the December 22 date when I shared my concern at a press conference.”