Santa Barbara County's Third District Supervisor |
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Greetings!
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the tail end of summer. In this newsletter I will update you as to the status the COVID-19 in the County, a new grant opportunity for the arts, and the expansion of Central Coast Community Energy to the South Coast this fall.
As you will see in the data below, COVID-19 infections continue to increase in Santa Barbara County due to the highly contagious delta variant, which now makes up 95% of new infections. There are currently 800 active cases in the County and hospitals and ICUs are approaching critical capacity. Important details about the Delta variant are available below. Public health experts and doctors continue to reinforce the importance of vaccines and indoor masking. For those looking to be vaccinated you can learn about walk-in vaccine clinics or set an appointment here.
Take care and be safe,
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COVID-19 Delta Variant Updates |
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At today's Board meeting, County Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso, Public Health Officer Henning Ansorg, Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons from Cottage Health, and Dr. Chuck Merrill from Marian Regional Medical Center presented a COVID-19 update to the Board. The presentations from today's meeting can be found here and here. Here are some key points from the presentations:
- The Delta variant is far more contagious than previous strains of COVID-19.
- The Delta variant has an R-0 value between 6 and 7, meaning that on average an infected person will infect 6-7 new patients. As a reference, the common flu has an R-0 value between 1 and 2 and previous strains of COVID-19 have R-0 values of 2-3. The current R-0 value of the delta variant translates into a much more transmissible disease with a higher risk of rapid community spread.
- This transmissibility reinforces the importance of wearing masks, particularly indoors.
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"Breakthrough cases" where vaccinated individuals get infected are occurring with the Delta variant and are no longer considered rare. However, Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, Chair of Infectious Diseases at Cottage Health notes, "Vaccines continue to prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death."
- Infection rates among unvaccinated individuals are 370% higher than those of the vaccinated.
- Vaccinated individuals who get COVID-19 become less infectious more quickly and experience milder symptoms.
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"Expanding vaccination in our community is our best protection for what lies ahead." - Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, Cottage Heath Infectious Diseases
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Santa Barbara County Arts Commission Accepting Grant Applications |
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The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission is accepting grant applications designated for arts and culture nonprofit organizations through September 1, 2021 for its Arts Making Impact (AMI) grant program. The application and guidelines are available here.
Arts Making Impact (AMI) grants are intended to support artists, and arts and cultural organizations by funding projects and a variety of activities that enrich the lives of residents in communities throughout Santa Barbara County. The 2021-2022 funding is designated for arts and culture nonprofit organizations with an annual operating budget under $250,000. Applicants must be based in Santa Barbara County and provide services to Santa Barbara County residents. Grant Requests Range: $1,000 to $5,000. Funded grant applications will receive 100% of their request.
A Free informational workshop will be conducted online tomorrow Wednesday, August 18 at 12 p.m. This workshop is mandatory for first-time applicants and will take one hour.
AMI funds may be used to support projects and collaborative efforts that leverage community resources, provide greater and more diverse participation in the arts, and integrate the arts into learning environments for youth. Proposals that build beneficial partnerships and collaborations to help eliminate current barriers to cultural activities, such as access to transportation, materials, artists, music and art instruction to underserved communities are encouraged.
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Central Coast Community Energy Expanding to the South Coast |
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) is already serving as the local community-owned electricity provider for Northern Santa Barbara County. 3CE currently offers North County customers local control, competitive rates and greater local environmental and economic benefits from their electricity provider. 3CE will be expanding into Southern Santa Barbara County, including Gaviota, Isla Vista, Goleta, and Carpinteria this fall.
By supporting electricity generated exclusively from clean and renewable sources, 3CE is accelerating progress towards local and statewide emissions goals while supporting the growth of new renewable energy resources. 3CE has set a course to meet 60% of its energy supply from new clean and renewable resources by 2025 and 100% by 2030.
Residential and commercial customers in Southern Santa Barbara County can learn more about upcoming October 2021 enrollment by participating in an upcoming webinar to ask questions. Please register for these free virtual events at www.3CEnergy.org/2021-enrollment or visit www.3CEnergy.org to learn more.
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Stay Connected:
2-1-1 Call Center: Dial 211 if calling from within the county; or call (800) 400-1572 if calling from outside the area.
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