County Public Health Leaders Discourage Holiday Travel, Gatherings to Quell Surge of COVID-19
The recommendations are the same as before Thanksgiving, but with more urgency; a free rapid testing site is offered every Thursday in Lompoc
“The risk of getting infected is very high,” Santa Barbara County Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg says in urging people to celebrate holidays safely by avoiding travel or gathering with friends and family. (Brooke Holland / Noozhawk photo) By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
December 23, 2020
| 9:03 p.m.
Santa Barbara County Public Health authorities and other officials have urged people not to travel or gather with family and friends for the holidays, since the county and the rest of state is in the worst surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Share:
By KAREN GARCIA
While health care workers in California received the state’s first doses of the recently approved COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 14, nine pharmaceutical companies are continuing human clinical trials for their vaccines.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emergency use of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 11. The decision came just a day after its advisory panel unanimously recommended its approval. On Dec. 14, Moderna secured the recommendation of the FDA’s advisory council to approve its COVID-19 vaccine; it is currently awaiting authorization by the FDA.
TIERED SYSTEM
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties gear up for future COVID-19 vaccination distribution plans, but local officials are waiting for federal and state guidelines.
Half of county residents hospitalized for COVID-19 have no underlying conditions, data shows lompocrecord.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lompocrecord.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.