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54 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Santa Barbara Co.; total now 1,362

Posted at 4:53 PM, May 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-11 20:59:18-04

Santa Barbara County reported 54 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the county's total to 1,362 cases as of May 11.

Forty of the new cases are inmates at the federal prison in Lompoc.

Overall, 37 coronavirus patients in Santa Barbara County are hospitalized, with 10 patients in the ICU.

Health officials say 474 people have fully recovered.

Santa Barbara County has had 11 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Health officials say it's important to distinguish between cases within the community and cases at the prison. Supervisor Gregg Hart said the county is trying to work with the Bureau of Prisons to handle the outbreak at the prison, but the situation is ultimately out of the county's control and county leaders are disappointed by the bureau's response. He said the Board of Supervisors would consider at its meeting on Tuesday sending a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom expressing their concerns.

On Monday, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) and elected leaders from northern Santa Barbara County sent a letter asking the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to exclude positive COVID-19 cases out of the federal prison in Lompoc from the county's reopening criteria.

Last week, the prison began testing all of the inmates in its low-security unit, resulting in a huge increase of positive cases.

As of Monday, the Bureau of Prisons was reporting a total of 912 coronavirus-positive inmates at the Lompoc prison Complex.

Supervisor Hart added that the county has offered testing to prison staff, and to date, 60 out of 450 staff members have been tested by the county.

Three coronavirus testing sites are now open to the community in Santa Barbara County -- at the Santa Maria Fairpark, the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, and the Anderson Recreation Center in Lompoc.

County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said 1,200 tests have been conducted at those community-based sites. He said there has been a delay in some of those test results, but those glitches should be worked out soon.

Appointments are required at all testing sites. To make an appointment, visit https://lhi.care/covidtesting or call 888-634-1123.

For more information on the county's COVID-19 response, visit publichealthsbc.org.