2 weeks after COVID-19 tiered system Santa Barbara County Public Health is optimistic and disappointed

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — California is two weeks into the state’s full reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 15, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, lifted most COVID-19 restrictions. Among those restrictions were allowing businesses to serve 100% capacity and masks are no longer required in most situations for fully vaccinated people.

On June 15, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) stated the state had a new case rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people. On June 29, CDPH stated California has a new case rate of 2.0 per 100,000 people.

Santa Barbara County is seeing a similar trend. On June 15, Santa Barbara County Public Health states the county had a new case rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people. On June 24, SBCPH stated the county had a new case rate of 1.1 per 100,000.

SBCPH director, Van Do-Reynoso, said she is very optimistic about the case rates staying close to the same. She’s pleased her prediction of the numbers not spiking didn’t happen in the first two weeks of lifted restrictions. However, she’s disappointed in the county’s slowing vaccination rate.

As of June 28, 67% of eligible people in Santa Barbara County have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And only 58% of people are fully vaccinated. Do-Reynoso was hoping more people would be vaccinated by now. And she said the majority of those who are not vaccinated are people not wanting the vaccine rather than those unable to get it.

Los Angeles County Public Health found 99.8% of COVID-19 related deaths since December were unvaccinated people. Do-Reynoso said that shows the effectiveness of the vaccine and proves everyone needs to get one. She especially wants people to get fully vaccinated with a rise in the Delta variant.