Santa Barbara County is reporting the death of another person who tested positive for COVID-19.
Health officials say the patient was over the age of 70, had underlying health conditions, and lived in the Goleta Valley at a congregate living facility that is experiencing a coronavirus outbreak.
Santa Barbara County has had 151 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
The county also added 221 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the county's total to 15,417 confirmed cases as of December 23.
The Public Health Department reports that 113 people are currently hospitalized, including 22 patients who are in the ICU. Health officials say 13,979 people have recovered.
According to the State of California's online COVID-19 dashboard, there are currently 42 ICU beds available in Santa Barbara County.
Breakdown of cases by location:
- Santa Maria - 5,796
- Santa Barbara - 2,352
- Lompoc - 1,654
- Lompoc federal prison - 1,038
- Orcutt - 752
- Guadalupe and North County unincorporated areas (Sisquoc, Casmalia, Garey, Cuyama, New Cuyama) - 641
- Isla Vista - 634
- Goleta - 616
- Unincorporated Goleta Valley and Gaviota - 459
- Carpinteria and South County unincorporated areas (Montecito, Summerland) - 429
- Santa Ynez Valley (Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Ballard) - 367
An additional 679 cases are listed as "pending" location.
Three free community coronavirus testing sites are open in Santa Maria, Buellton, and Goleta.
Additional testing will be available at the Public Health Testing Site in Santa Maria through Thursday, Dec. 24.
Appointments are required at all locations. Click here for information on how to make an appointment.
For more information on the county's COVID-19 response, visit publichealthsbc.org.