Santa Barbara County Public Health provides update on pandemic response

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department provided new updates on the coronavirus pandemic during the health department's weekly appearance on NewsChannel 3 Midday.

Dr. Henning Ansorg, public health officer, spoke with Alys Martinez and Joe Buttitta about the rise of Delta variant cases in Santa Barbara County. Ansorg said the public health department has seen a "significant" increase in the number of coronavirus cases that are linked to the more transmissible variant.

Ansorg stressed that the coronavirus vaccines are effective in preventing serious symptoms or hospitalizations from the Delta variant. Ansorg said people will need to get both doses of the vaccine to experience the 95% protection provided by the vaccine.

As Los Angeles County encourages residents to wear masks to stop the spread of the Delta variant, Ansorg says there are no current plans to require indoor masking in Santa Barbara County although it is an effective strategy to reduce transmission.

For the latest coronavirus information in Santa Barbara County, click here.

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