This week, Santa Barbara County public health leaders announced that Santa Barbara County could move to the orange level within weeks. The province just turned the corner in the red layer last week.
Getting into the orange low takes about two to five COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the county, or four million vaccinations in the state of California.
Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer, said Friday: “[It] it is possible that two [to] In three weeks’ time we will have reached those thresholds and hopefully the door will be open to go to orange. “
Santa Barbara County Health officials say the federal government is sending more vaccines to local pharmacies, which will increase accessibility to vaccines.
The federal government is also sending doses not going through the state system to pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid. [These pharmacies] also offer vaccinations and I would encourage people to call them or check their website as there are more and more vaccination options, ”explained Dr. Ansorg explains.
Vaccines are shelf-stable, so people who don’t show up for appointments can be found in pharmacies offering the extra doses to members of the community.
CVS says in a statement to KSBY:
We follow all guidelines from the CDC and the manufacturer regarding the proper storage and administration of any COVID-19 vaccine to ensure that the vaccine is not wasted. Our online planning tool also helps ensure that appointments are aligned with the available vaccine offerings. In the event of unused doses in our pharmacies, our pharmacy teams will evaluate how to most efficiently vaccinate eligible individuals with the remaining doses. This includes reaching out to eligible patients in their communities as our pharmacies maintain patient profiles with information that can help determine who is eligible for vaccination.
CVS
Santa Barbara County says that to avoid another COVID spike, people need to stay safe, especially during spring break and upcoming vacations.
San Luis Obispo County is also heading towards the orange layer. The latest statistics show that the county’s positivity rate already meets the requirements, but officials have not indicated when the switch to orange can take place.
The orange layer provides more reopenings for businesses and recreation.
Click here to see what can open in the orange layer.