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Fitzgibbons gives COVID-19 update, discusses risk to children By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons
NEWS-PRESS FILE
Dr. Lynn Fitzgibbons, chair of the infectious disease division at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, provided the community with an update on the state of COVID19 in the region during a virtual meeting Thursday evening. Much of Thursday’s conversation centered on the impact of COVID-19 on children. Statewide data shows that cases among kids and teens as old as 17 are increasing in California, and have been on the rise since April of last year, Dr. Fitzgibbons said. She added that in large part, this increase can be tied to widespread vaccine coverage among the
older population. Despite this rise among teens and adolescents, Dr. Fitzgibbons ensured that the cases among the adolescent population are frequently mild, and often, children experience the same symptoms as adults who contract a less severe case of COVID19. “What’s interesting with kids and adults is they are probably more likely to have milder or slightly different, maybe allergic type symptoms even, you know, just simply a runny nose,” Dr. Fitzgibbons said. “The good news, again, is that most children are recovering within one or two weeks, and it’s really uncommon for kids to have symptoms beyond eight weeks, but not unheard of.” Among the children who do get infected
with COVID-19, Dr. Fitzgibbons said that hospitalization is rare, citing studies that say the rate is around 2%. Those most likely to contract severe disease are children who are immunocompromised, have complicated medical histories, have a higher BMI or have asthma, she said. Nationwide, hospitals have charted an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations among children in recent weeks, which has prompted concerns among some locals about the threat of COVID-19 to their own children. Dr. Fitgibbons addressed these concerns during Thursday’s meeting, ensuring parents that Cottage Hospitals across the county are prepared to treat children infected with COVID-19, though the risk of hospitalization remains low.
“Here in Santa Barbara, we’re very fortunate that we have a great children’s hospital here within Cottage Hospital with a lot of capacity, with a lot of excellent local expertise,” Dr. Fitzgibbons said. “We’ve had pediatric cases actually throughout the pandemic. We have continued to care for children who have come in with severe COVID-19, both ICU level-care and unfortunately, sometimes as well as on the general floor, and we’ve been able to do that safely and have good outcomes.” “We have the capacity and the expertise, but it’s something that we’re watching very, very carefully.” In addition to a discussion on COVID-19 among children, Dr. Fitzgibbons also took Please see COVID on A2
Santa Barbara Junior High opens multi-purpose building ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING PROVIDED TO CITY
A family is hoping to develop their lot at 630 Chapala Street into a 39unit mixed-use development.
Planning commission OKs added height on development Proposed development at 630 Chapala Street in approval process By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Painters put the finishing touches on the interior of the multi-purpose building at Santa Barbara Junior High Thursday.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW
P.E. teacher Ed Gover shoots the first basket after the ribboncutting ceremony. Many more staff members followed.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara Junior High staff members, wearing casual clothes and name tags, gathered in the school’s new building Thursday for a ribboncutting ceremony of the school’s new multi-purpose building. The building houses the kitchen, cafeteria, gymnasium and locker rooms and replaces aging structures that were not up to current building codes. Teachers and other members of the SBJH team chatted or dribbled a basketball on the new hardwood floors. There was a first-day-of-school feeling. For their second project unveiling in two days, Santa Barbara Unified School District officials stepped up to a podium to commemorate the accomplishment. The district’s superintendent Please see BUILDING on A3
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The City of Santa Barbara Planning Commission approved 6-1, with Sheila Lodge dissenting, the concept of a 39-unit mixed-use development at 630 Chapala Street — including a 2’11” extension above the city’s height limit. The project still has multiple steps before final approval, including design review by the Historic Landmarks Commission. If it passes, it will be the second project without resident parking approved under the City’s Average Unit-Size Density (AUD) Incentive Program. The other development is not yet under construction. Applicant Tom Meaney, an architect, is hoping bicyclists would move into the property. His plans only include one bicycle spot per unit, which commissioners advised him to change. Mr. Meaney appeared open to ideas, except when Chair Deborah Schwartz suggested he look into public-private partnerships. Why? The development is going to be a family business. “It’s a complicated enough partnership between my uncle’s family, my mom’s family, getting the 13 grandkids to agree on anything,” he said. His grandfather owned the land when Volkswagen established a dealership, and he passed the property down. His cousin owns the Wildcat Lounge adjacent to the property. Commissioners and public comments had concerns the proximity to the lounge would be a problem for the residential development. “I hope that the introduction of housing does not endanger
nightlife,” Commissioner Roxana Bonderson said. “So for any reason you don’t want to live upstairs from a nightclub, then you probably have to look elsewhere for your housing.” Ms. Lodge and Vice Chair Gabriel Escobedo said they were “interested” to see how a residential building without a parking lot would perform. But Mr. Escobedo saw the project more positively than Ms. Lodge, who remarked that her friends once disliked living downtown for the noise. Commissioner Jay Higgins noted that parking is an amenity, so the loss of parking should make the units more affordable. Mr. Meaney said the loss of parking was a conscious choice to create an arcade between the development’s three separate buildings. He harnesses light with this central courtyard and arcade design, and he also expanded ceiling height to bring an airy feel to the apartments. The consequence is an almost three-feet intrusion above the height limit. The building is next to the old Macy’s and lacks views around it, so he justified his fourstory building. He also hopes to gather solar energy, which is improved by the taller height. Mr. Meaney also included a rooftop deck in his drawings. Another unique feature is livework spaces using an existing building. To view the project drawings, go to santabarbaraca.gov/gov/ brdcomm/nz/planning/agendas. asp and scroll to “Architectural Drawings.” Select the document with “630 Chapala Street” in the name.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-12-21-40-47 Mega: 11
Thursday’s DAILY 4: 6-3-6-7
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 29-45-50-59-62 Mega: 12
Thursday’s FANTASY 5: 3-16-20-31-35
Thursday’s DAILY DERBY: 06-11-02 Time: 1:43.67
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Thursday’s DAILY 3: 8-5-0 / Midday 3-4-9