
The number of new daily COVID-19 cases reported has increased by 65.5% in the last week, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.
Data on the county dashboard show the test positivity rate has increased from about 3% to 9.2% in the past month, which means nearly one in 10 people being PCR tested for COVID-19 have positive results.
The overall number of new cases is undercounted since at-home test results are not reported by Public Health. The county reported 312 new cases in the past week and one COVID-19-related death.
Public Health reports a total of 107,527 cases of COVID-19 in the county and 738 deaths since the county began recording in early 2020.
COVID-19 community levels remain low in Santa Barbara County according to CDC definitions.
As of Thursday, there were 31 COVID-19-positive patients in local hospitals including six people in intensive care units.
As of Monday, county healthcare providers reported having administered 1,731,558 COVID-19 tests.
As of Dec. 1, the California Department of Public Health reported that 933,037 doses of the vaccine have been administered in Santa Barbara County. The Department also states that 69.7% of people in the county are fully vaccinated, 58.9% of county residents have been vaccinated and gotten a booster shot, and 18.5% of people in the county have received the bivalent booster.
To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you, visit publichealthsbc.org/vaccine, or at myturn.ca.gov.