Covid-19 statistics in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties have jumped, so much so that health leaders are recommending mask wearing and social distancing even for people who are vaccinated.
“Me myself personally, I have health issues so I'm unable to get vaccinated due to the health issues that I have, so I think it's just really important that we do what the CDC recommends for the simple fact it protects everybody,” said Monet Gray, a native of Madera.
Santa Barbara County saw a 400% increase in case rates over the last month. In San Luis Obispo County, it was almost 300%.
Dr. Henning Ansorg, a health officer for Santa Barbara County, said, “We now experience the pandemic of the unvaccinated. It is unnecessary and completely preventable.”
Dr. Ansorg explained while they are seeing about 20 percent of the new cases in people who are fully vaccinated, he stresses that they are not the ones being hospitalized or at fault for spreading the virus.
“Instead of lamenting about public health recommendations and perceived restrictions, we need to take responsibility for ourselves, our neighbors and loved ones,” he said.
If the tier system were still in place in Santa Barbara County, Dr. Ansorg said Santa Barbara County would be approaching the purple, most restrictive tier.
Numbers released Tuesday for San Luis Obispo County show the number of new COVID-19 cases over the last week nearly doubled from the week prior.