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Santa Barbara Co. reports 6 new cases of COVID-19; total now 1,376

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Santa Barbara County reported six new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the county's total to 1,376 cases as of May 13.

Health officials say 894 cases are inmates at the federal prison in Lompoc and 482 are community members.

Of the community cases, 69 cases are currently active with 26 people in the hospital; 394 people have recovered.

Health officials say 95 inmates have fully recovered.

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

Information on 88 patients is pending.

Health officials say one previously reported case was determined not to be a case and removed from the total count.

At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said he recently spoke with state health officials about the strict requirements the state has in place for counties to further reopen. He said the metrics Santa Barbara County has not been able to meet yet include no deaths from COVID-19 and less than 45 cases in a two-week period.

However, since recent community testing has not shown a spike in cases, Dr. Ansorg said he is certain the county will soon be able to move forward in reopening.

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.

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

Dr. Ansorg said the Santa Maria and Santa Barbara testing sites have been filling all appointments available each day, but the Lompoc site has consistently had appointments available.

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