Earlier this month, Santa Barbara County was reporting low COVID-19 cases, but cases across the country seem to be on the rise.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Santa Barbara County had 24 new hospital admissions from confirmed COVID-19 cases in the week of Aug. 12. That is a 60% increase in hospital patients from the week before, according to Dr. Henning Ansorg, public health officer with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. The cases are mostly in patients older than age 70.

San Luis Obispo County also has seen 24 new hospital admissions. Ventura County has seen 36, Kern County 23 and Los Angeles County 525. 

County Public Health began tracking COVID-19 data through wastewater surveillance earlier this year. Even if a person isn’t showing symptoms, they can shed the virus through their feces, and the virus can then be detected through the wastewater. 

Using wastewater surveillance, officials can detect when the virus is beginning to spread through the community. 

Recent trends in wastewater data show that COVID-19 levels have increased in Goleta and Lompoc, while Santa Barbara’s levels have decreased, according to Ansorg.

Ansorg told Noozhawk that fewer people are testing for COVID-19 because of the availability of at-home tests. However, of those PCR tests reported, 1 in 5 are positive, which is the same as the week before.

According to the county Public Health Department, variant EG.5 (Eris) followed by variant XBB.1.9.2 are the most prevalent variants circulating in California, but they are not causing worse cases of COVID-19 than prior variants.

With school starting back up, the Public Health Department is anticipating a “slight increase” in cases. They remind residents to keep up with good hygiene, masking when sick, and to keep tests on hand if they feel symptoms or are exposed to the virus.