After weeks of steady decline, Santa Barbara County’s COVID-19 case rate has shown a plateau in recent days.
Santa Barbara County has been in the red tier for three weeks and its entry into the less-restrictive orange tier hinges on the adjusted case rate, which is currently at 5.1 as of Friday. At the Friday press conference, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said she believes that the county can drop its case rate to below 4 and enter the orange tier within two weeks or so, if the public “doubles down” on COVID precautions.
Do-Reynoso also gave an update on the county’s vaccine rollout. She shared that 63 percent of those 75 and older have been fully vaccinated; 25 percent of those 65-74 have been fully vaccinated; and 79 percent of those 65-74 have had at least one dose.