Santa Barbara County reported 77 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, including a surge of new infections among Isla Vista residents.
The county Public Health Department also reported another COVID-19 death, bringing the county’s total to 68.
The case count in Isla Vista, the densely populated community adjacent to UCSB, jumped by 13 to 69, a 23 percent increase.
The fatality was described as a person older than age 70 with underlying medical conditions and living in a congregate-living facility in Santa Barbara.
No other information was released about the person, including when he or she died, with public health officials citing possible privacy concerns.
Of the other new cases, 35 were in Santa Maria, six were in Santa Barbara, five in Lompoc, three each in Goleta and Orcutt, two in the Montecito-Summerland-Carpinteria area, and one each in the unincorporated Goleta Valley and the unincorporated Santa Maria Valley.
Difference from previous day
Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Aug. 6
Total positive cases 6,652 + 77 COVID-19-related deaths 68 + 1 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals 81 – 1 COVID-19 ICU patients 25 Unchanged Total test results 81,915 + 603 Seven-day average test positivity rate 11.2% + 0.5%
Geographic locations were pending on eight cases.
There were 81 COVID-19 patients in local hospitals, down from 88 two days ago, with 25 in intensive care units, which is unchanged the past two days.
The county’s daily testing-positivity rate — based on 603 tests — was 13 percent on Thursday.
There have been 6,652 COVID-19 cases reported overall in the county, of which 6,379 people have fully recovered.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
New cases reported Aug. 6 Active cases by area Total reported cases by area South County: Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria 2 4 154 Santa Barbara and Mission Canyon 6 40 871 Goleta 3 6 154 Isla Vista 13 17 69 Western Goleta Valley and Gaviota 1 1 115 Santa Ynez Valley 0 0 74 Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, Mission Hills 5 24 491 Lompoc federal correctional complex 0 0 1019 Santa Maria 35 78 2,990 Orcutt 3 5 213 North County: Guadalupe, Cuyama, New Cuyama, Garey, Casmalia, Sisquoc 1 5 267 Pending location 8 25 235 Santa Barbara County total 77 205 6,652