The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department on Thursday reported two additional deaths of individuals who tested positive for COVID-19.
Both decedents were over the age of 70, bringing the county’s total number of COVID-19 deaths to 75.
One victim was a resident of the North County unincorporated area who suffered from underlying health conditions. The victim resided in a congregate care facility, though it was not a skilled nursing facility.
The other victim was a Santa Maria resident who did not have underlying health conditions.
The county Public Health Department reports a death when a death certificate is processed listing COVID-19 as a cause or a significant condition.
A total of 75 new COVID-19 cases were announced Thursday, bringing the county’s total to 7,148. Of those, 207 remain active.
The city of Santa Maria reported 28 new cases, 86 of which remain active. The North County city has now reported 3,199 total cases and 40 deaths — both the most in the county.
The city of Santa Barbara reported 14 new cases and has now reported 942 cases. A total of 37 cases remain active.
Isla Vista reported nine new cases (103 overall, 17 active), the city of Lompoc reported seven new cases (542 overall, 18 active), and the Santa Ynez Valley reported four new cases (85 overall, eight active), according to the data.
Three new cases were reported in the city of Goleta (172 overall, five active), while the community of Orcutt and unincorporated areas of Sisquoc, Casmalia, Garey, Cuyama, New Cuyama and city of Guadalupe each reported two new cases. Both areas have seven active cases.
Six cases announced Thursday were still pending. A total of 280 cases are pending, 14 of which remain active.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday that 11 more inmates have tested positive for COVID-19.
The new cases were detected during a follow-up from the four cases from the jail’s general population that were reported Aug. 3. One inmate from the group refused testing and one inmate tested negative. Ten of the inmates who tested positive are asymptomatic and are being housed in double or triple cells. One inmate is symptomatic and medically isolated in a negative air flow cell.
The total number of inmates who have tested positive for coronavirus in the Main Jail is now 25.
Seven inmates tested positive upon being booked, while 18 have contracted the virus within the facility. One inmate has died, five have been released from custody, four have recovered and 15 cases remain active.
email: mwhite@newspress.com
