Santa Barbara County Public Health officials reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the county's total to 32,087 confirmed cases as of March 2.
Three additional COVID-19 related deaths were also reported. To date, there have been 416 deaths attributed to the virus in Santa Barbara County.
Health officials say 59 people are currently hospitalized; 31,346 people have recovered.
The Public Health Department reports that 54 of the county's 76 staffed ICU beds are currently occupied. Nineteen of them are taken by COVID-19 patients.
Updated reopening metrics were also released on Tuesday and while Santa Barbara County remains in the purple tier, the numbers are improving.
To move to the next (red) tier, the county's adjusted case rate per 100,000 residents must be 7 or lower. Currently, it is 13, down from 16.9 last week.
The county's test positivity rate also dropped from 6% to 5.1%. The health equity positivity rate, defined as the test positivity rate in the county's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, is currently 8.2%, down from 9.7% last week. Those metrics must be 8% or lower in order for the county to move to the red tier.
Breakdown of cases by location:
- Santa Maria - 10,790
- Santa Barbara - 5,972
- Lompoc - 3,367
- Orcutt - 1,700
- Goleta - 1,650
- Carpinteria and South County unincorporated areas (Montecito, Summerland) - 1,282
- Guadalupe and North County unincorporated areas (Sisquoc, Casmalia, Garey, Cuyama, New Cuyama) - 1,228
- Isla Vista - 1,226
- Unincorporated Goleta Valley and Gaviota - 1,113
- Lompoc federal prison - 1,086
- Santa Ynez Valley (Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Ballard) - 948
TESTING
Multiple free community coronavirus testing sites are open in Santa Maria, Lompoc, Buellton, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria.
Appointments are required at those locations. Click here for information on how to make an appointment.
Walk-in only testing is available at the Isla Vista Theater from noon to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
VACCINATIONS
Santa Barbara County is currently vaccinating health care workers, residents 65 years of age and older, and workers in the education/childcare, food/agriculture, and emergency services sectors. For details on how to make an appointment, click here.
For more information on the county's COVID-19 response, visit publichealthsbc.org.