Santa Barbara County on Thursday reported 153 new COVID-19 cases and eight related deaths.
To date, the county has logged a total of 30,502 confirmed cases, and the cumulative death toll has increased to 366.
All eight Santa Barbara County residents who died were older than age 70, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.
Four of the eight people had underlying health conditions, and four of the deaths were associated with an outbreak at a congregate living care facility. The COVID-19-related deaths were reported among four Lompoc residents, two Santa Maria residents, one Santa Barbara resident and one resident in the unincorporated areas of the South County.
The county’s first death from COVID-19 occurred on April 1.
There were 154 confirmed COVID-19 patients being treated in local hospitals on Thursday — nine more than the previous day. Thirty-eight of those patients were in intensive-care units — three more than the previous day.
The county’s ICU availability decreased to 23.4% on Thursday, down from 27.6% on Wednesday.
COVID-19 patients occupied about 50% of the 76 staffed adult ICU beds available in the county on Thursday.
Santa Barbara County has tallied more than 1,085 new COVID-19 cases during the past seven days, averaging slightly more than 155 new cases per day during the period.
Of Thursday’s new cases, Santa Maria had 40, Santa Barbara logged 35, Lompoc tallied 17, the unincorporated area of the Goleta Valley and Gaviota reported five, and Isla Vista had three. Fourteen cases each were in Orcutt and the Montecito-Summerland-Carpinteria area. Goleta and the Santa Ynez Valley both added seven new cases. The unincorporated areas of the North County and Guadalupe reported one new case, and 10 were pending geographic location.
More than 835 residents were considered still infectious, or active, cases countywide on Thursday, according to the Public Health Department.
More than 448,600 COVID-19 tests have been administered in Santa Barbara County, according to Thursday’s daily status report. There were more than 3,445 COVID-19 tests reported in the county Thursday.
Meanwhile, two additional Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department employees and 13 additional Main Jail inmates tested positive for COVID-19, according to Raquel Zick, a sheriff’s department spokeswoman.
“Two of these inmates were identified during the intake screening and 14-day quarantine process, and one of them has since been released,” Zick said. “The remaining 11 cases have been traced to the outbreak discovered on Feb. 2.”
To date, at least 209 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, and there are 46 active cases in the Main Jail, Zick said.
The COVID-19 cases occurred among a sheriff’s deputy and a sheriff’s employee, Zick said.
That brings the total number of positive cases among sheriff’s employees to 113, with 102 who have recovered and returned to work, Zick said.
Click here for Noozhawk’s complete coverage of the Coronavirus Crisis.
COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccine tracker shows that more than 34.7 million people in the United States had received at least one dose as of Thursday.
Vaccine doses are allocated based on population and other demographics, and Santa Barbara County orders vaccines on a weekly basis.
Public Health vaccination clinics, hospitals, doctor’s offices and pharmacies are providing vaccinations, and the county community data dashboard tracks administration numbers — how many shots have been given to people so far — which can be delayed by a few days, according to the county.
Population COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Delivered Vaccine Doses Administered Source Santa Barbara County 460,444 70,100 as of Feb. 10 38,706 as of Feb. 10 Public Health Department Data Dashboard California 39.5 million 8.1 million as of Feb. 11 5.3 million as of Feb. 11 California Department of Public Health United States 330.8 million 68.2 million as of Feb. 11 46.4 million as of Feb. 11 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has vaccine-related information on its COVID-19 page here: https://publichealthsbc.org. It includes information on the vaccination distribution plan and groups that are currently eligible for vaccine appointments.
There is also a Public Health Department email address for questions from the general public: vaccine@sbcphd.org.
The 2-1-1 call center is staffed with people who can answer questions about COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County, according to the Public Health Department. The center can be reached at 2-1-1 or 800.400.1572 for out-of-area numbers.
By calling 2-1-1 and selecting option 4 for vaccine information or help making an appointment, people can reach the county’s call center, which is staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
Call center staff members are helping people sign up for COVID-19 vaccine appointments when they are available, and answering questions about the process.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
