During the last regular COVID-19 County press briefing, Santa Barbara County Public Health authorities disaggregated the latest immunization trends by age and ethnicity.

As of Friday, nearly 69% of all eligible residents in the county (those aged 12 or older) have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 57% of all eligible residents have been fully immunized, according to the director of public health Van. Do-Reynoso.

The county continues to see the highest proportion of fully immunized residents among the 75 and over age group, with 74.5% of fully immunized residents. The 50-64 age group has the second highest vaccination rate at 72.6%, followed by 65-74 at 69.7%, Do-Reynoso said.

According to Do-Reynoso, nearly 50% of residents in the 30-49 and 16-29 age groups are fully vaccinated, and 22.7% of 12-15 year olds are fully vaccinated. Residents aged 12 to 15 became eligible for the vaccine in early May.

In Santa Barbara County, the native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander community has the highest vaccination percentage at 64%, according to Do-Reynoso. Among White County residents, 45.6% are fully vaccinated and 43.8% of Asian residents are fully vaccinated.

About 36% of Hispanic / Latino community members are fully vaccinated, nearly 28% of Black / African American residents are fully vaccinated, and just over 22% of residents of multiple races are fully vaccinated, Do-Reynoso said. . About 22% of the Native Alaskan / Native community members are fully immunized.

“You can see that with vaccinations by race and ethnicity, we have some groups behind,” Do-Reynoso said, adding that public health has 22 community partners who are doing outreach and education through the county to increase vaccination rates.

The county has appointments for the first and second dose of the vaccine widely available, and residents can turn to the Public health website or My turn to find appointments.

Public health officer Henning Ansorg has warned of the rapid spread of the Delta variant globally and nationally, saying 10% of all still infectious COVID-19 cases in the United States have been identified as being the Delta variant. The variant is more transmissible and, therefore, more dangerous, Ansorg said.

On average, a person infected with the variant has the potential to pass it on to five or six other people, compared to two or three others, Ansorg said. The variant has also caused more hospitalizations among young people, he added.

Ansorg said all COVID-19 vaccines are effective against the Delta variant, with the most reliable protection after receiving the second dose in a two-dose schedule.

As California moves into a reopening state, Cal / OSHA released new workplace masking guidelines on Thursday and shortly thereafter, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a decree in accordance with the new directives which will come into force as soon as it is filed with the Secretary of State.

The new directive allows fully vaccinated employees to dispense with masks at work, except in places where masks are mandatory for everyone or in the event of an epidemic. Physical distancing requirements will also be removed, except in the event of an outbreak, and individual employers can still decide whether to require masks for everyone, vaccinated or not, said Do-Reynoso.

Employers must document that employees who do not wear masks indoors are fully immunized. Documentation can include proof of vaccination or self-attestation, Do-Reynoso said.

the California Department of Public Health introduced a new tool on Friday that will allow community members to access a digital version of their immunization record, Do-Reynoso said. Residents who choose to register need only enter a name, date of birth, email address or phone number associated with the vaccination record, and create a four-digit PIN code, a- she added.

If all of the information submitted matches the immunization record, the person will receive a text or email with a link to the digital record, Do-Reynoso said.

People can sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine digital record at mondossiervaccin.cdph.ca.gov.

The new tool is not a vaccination passport and residents are not required to obtain a digital COVID-19 vaccination record. Do-Reynoso said it was just another way to provide proof of vaccination.

Daily issues

COVID-19 case rates are at an all time high from the past six months, Do-Reynoso said.

Over the past week, the county reported 38 new cases, including three reported Friday. As of Friday, 35 cases were still considered infectious across the county.

No new deaths were reported on Friday and the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in the county remained at 455.

COVID-19-related hospitalizations across the county also remained low and stable.

“Since the vaccination campaign gained ground, overall hospitalizations for COVID-19 have continued to decline significantly,” Ansorg said.

On Friday, 12 people were hospitalized with the virus, including three treated in intensive care units. None of the hospitalized residents have been vaccinated, Ansorg said.

“Our vaccines (…) are so effective that it becomes rare for vaccinated people to be seen in any hospital,” he said. “If you procrastinate to get the vaccine, please make it a priority to protect yourself and your loved ones now. With each additional person vaccinated, there is one more person who cannot transmit this virus. “

– Noozhawk editor Jade Martinez-Pogue can be contacted at . (JavaScript must be enabled to display this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.