The Public Health Department has been reporting continued declines in new COVID-19 cases since late July, and the downward trend also continues for COVID-19-positive hospitalizations.

Santa Barbara County’s Community Data Dashboard has case numbers through Monday, and in the most recent week Public Health reported 181 new positive cases.

“Over the last 7 days, the weekly average of reported PCR confirmed cases has decreased by 21%. This is an underreporting of cases in Santa Barbara County given increased rapid antigen home testing that is often not reported to the Public Health Department,” according to the county.

As of Thursday, there were 19 COVID-19-positive hospital patients, including one person being treated in an intensive care unit.

This is a 32% change from the previous week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

There have been three COVID-related deaths in the county this week, according to Public Health. To date, the county has reported the COVID-19-related deaths of 722 people. 

The COVID-19 Community Level remains low in the county, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s metric. 

Bivalent booster shots to protect against COVID-19 are available countywide and recommended for everyone ages 12 and older. Visit www.vaccines.gov and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Vaccines page for more information and to find local providers. 

— Noozhawk staff writer Grace Kitayama can be reached at gkitayama@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.