To ramp up testing efforts and navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department’s mobile testing unit is moving from Santa Barbara to Lompoc.
Beginning Monday, community members can schedule an appointment to be tested at the mobile unit at Ryon Park in Lompoc.
The testing unit, at 800 W. Ocean Ave., will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday for a minimum of two weeks before it is moved to another location.
“I want to thank the county for acquiring the mobile testing facility and welcome it to Lompoc,” Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne said. “Testing is still a very important part of managing the pandemic and understanding how the virus is spreading while we work to distribute the vaccines.”
Community members can request an appointment at lhi.care/covidtesting, or call 2-1-1 for assistance with registration.
Public health officials on Thursday reported 226 new cases of COVID-19 and six more related fatalities.
All six individuals were older than age 70, and four had underlying medical conditions, according to public health officials. One of the deaths was associated with an outbreak at a congregate facility.
Three of the individuals lived in Santa Maria, two lived in the Santa Ynez Valley and one lived in the unincorporated area of Mission Canyon in Santa Barbara.
With 36 additional deaths reported during the past week, the county’s cumulative death toll rose to 285.
There were 193 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 throughout the county, including 51 who required intensive care. The county’s ICU availability was 12.8% as of Thursday, according to the public health department.
Of Thursday’s new cases, 68 were in Santa Maria and 42 were in Lompoc. Santa Barbara reported 34 new cases, Goleta tallied 12, the Montecito-Summerland-Carpinteria area had 10, and the unincorporated area of the Goleta Valley and Gaviota, and the Santa Ynez Valley each logged nine.
Orcutt and the unincorporated areas of the North County both had eight new cases, and Isla Vista reported seven. There were 19 cases still pending geographic location.
There are now 1,685 cases considered to be infectious throughout the county, and there have been 27,754 confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.