The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported 178 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and three deaths.
According to the department, two of the individuals who died were between the ages of 50 and 69, and one was above the age of 70. Two of the individuals also had underlying health conditions. One of the individuals resided in Orcutt, and the other two resided in Santa Maria.
Across the county, officials reported 74 new cases in Santa Maria on Thursday, 24 cases in Orcutt, 22 cases in Santa Barbara and unincorporated Mission Canyon, and 19 new cases in Lompoc and the communities of Mission Hills and Vandenberg Village.
In addition to these, 11 new cases were reported in the unincorporated Goleta Valley and Gaviota, eight were reported in the Santa Ynez Valley, and seven were reported in North County unincorporated areas and Guadalupe.
Three cases were reported in both Goleta and the South Coast corridor that includes unincorporated areas and Carpinteria.
Seven infections were pending a geographic assignment on Thursday.
Thursday’s new cases brought the county’s active case total to 645 infections. The majority of those are in Santa Maria, where officials are reporting 228 active cases.
On Thursday, 62 people were hospitalized for COVID-19, and 18 of those patients were recovering in the ICU.
According to the county’s latest vaccination data, which has a one-day lag, 74.8% of eligible 12-and-older residents are at least partially vaccinated, and 66.1% of that population is fully vaccinated.
Of the entire county population, 56% of people were fully vaccinated on Wednesday.
email: mhirneisen@newspress.com
