Santa Barbara County is reporting the deaths of three more people who tested positive for COVID-19.
Health officials say two of the patients were over the age of 70 and lived in congregate living facilities. The third patient was between the ages of 50 and 69-years-old. All three reportedly had underlying health conditions.
Santa Barbara County has had 156 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
The county also added 256 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the county's total to 16,732 confirmed cases as of December 29.
The Public Health Department reports that 127 people are currently hospitalized, including 33 patients who are in the ICU. Health officials say 15,349 people have recovered.
According to the State of California's online COVID-19 dashboard, there are currently 21 ICU beds available in Santa Barbara County.
Breakdown of cases by location:
- Santa Maria - 6,274
- Santa Barbara - 2,607
- Lompoc - 1,754
- Lompoc federal prison - 1,039
- Orcutt - 838
- Goleta - 706
- Guadalupe and North County unincorporated areas (Sisquoc, Casmalia, Garey, Cuyama, New Cuyama) - 678
- Isla Vista - 656
- Unincorporated Goleta Valley and Gaviota - 518
- Carpinteria and South County unincorporated areas (Montecito, Summerland) - 474
- Santa Ynez Valley (Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Ballard) - 413
An additional 775 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 on Thursday, Dec. 31.
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.