Santa Barbara County eyes move into orange tier

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — As the weather warms up, more people are out and about as Santa Barbara County remains in the red tier.

Yet, local health experts are urging everyone to keep their eyes on the prize by doubling down their safety efforts.

“Let us not waste this real opportunity too early,” public health officer Henning Ansorg said. “By getting lax about distancing, mask wearing and avoidance of crowds.”

“When we get relaxed in our safety precautions, that’s when we see a plateauing of our case rates,” public health director Van Do-Reynoso said.

As the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out in full force, the county has reached the home stretch of conquering a virus that has plagued us for the past year.

“Over 63% of our 75 and older have been fully vaccinated,” Do-Reynoso said.

“The more people getting vaccinated, the better our collective protection from these contagious virus strains will be,” Ansorg said.

However, some are still concerned about vaccine safety.

“There’s absolutely no scientific or even anecdotal evidence that these vaccines have any impact on fertility at all,” Ansorg said.

After weeks of waiting, those 50 and older are eligible to receive their shots at a community clinic in Lompoc on Sunday.

“I urge everyone to be on the lookout for when the vaccine becomes available to you,” Ansorg concluded.“Jump on the earliest opportunity to enhance everyone’s safety.”

On April 15, everyone over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.