COVID-19 Cases Continue to Increase in Santa Maria

By edhat staff

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department (PHD) reported 40 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday with the majority in the City of Santa Maria.

As of Thursday, there have been 1,737 COVID-19 cases within Santa Barbara County. Of those, 980 are attributed to the outbreak in the Federal Penitentiary in Lompoc, and 757 are within the community.

Currently, there are 108 active cases within the community. Of those, 76 are quarantined at home, 32 are hospitalized with 10 in the intensive care unit (ICU), and 21 are pending information. Overall there have been 14 deaths.

Out of the 757 community cases, approximately 60% of cases are attributed to the Santa Maria area. PHD Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg stated the health department continuing to see an increase in the area and they are actively working with individuals and communities to identify sources of spread. 

In previous press conferences, Dr. Ansorg confirmed there isn’t one determining factor as to why the cases are so high in the Santa Maria area. He said in terms of race, age, gender, ethnicity, neighborhood, occupation, and in other demographics, the cases are evenly spread. 

Dr. Ansorg expects the majority of test results following the 14-day incubation period to be in next week to determine if reopening more industries on Memorial Day weekend caused a significant increase in hospitalizations and positive results. Current protests are likely to cause some additional spread even though most protestors were being responsible by wearing masks, he said.

The slight increase in cases is most likely due to increased testing capabilities, said Dr. Ansorg.

Once the results are in and PHD can review the numbers, they’ll determine with additional business sectors can safely reopen their doors with modifications.

Edhat Staff

Written by Edhat Staff

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14 Comments

  1. This is not rocket science. The clear message is that the disease is infecting the poor. This is pretty clearly because they have to mingle in the world to make a living. Of course the less affected do not see this as a commentary on their privileged status but as a verification that the poor are poor because they can’t figure things out as well as those living with income, safe housing and medical care. Please remember that Marie Antoinette asked why the people without bread didn’t eat cake.

  2. Can we cut Santa Maria off from the totals like we did the jail? Kidding kidding but clearly there is a problem there that no one can figure out. And btw RHS, they said the numbers in Santa Maria are spread evenly among, race, age, gender etc so where you got your strange theory from is beyond me. I’ve never really agreed with anything you say but that was a new low.

  3. You should consider any information from Dr. Ansorg as immediately suspect. His statement on increased testing capabilities being responsible for the uptick is false. The testing rate has been constant with approximately 550 tests per day since May 8, and yes I’ve been tracking it out of curiosity from when it was barely 200/day in April. If he’s making up statements like that, how can you believe what he says about the even spread over demographics in SM?

  4. 42072–Facts are just that. Your failure to believe them, especially based on your disagreement with the messenger, doesn’t change reality. Here is an article from this morning’s LA Times: https://enewspaper.latimes.com/desktop/latimes/default.aspx?edid=500e2829-d8c2-4d46-92ca-b3178be73fe5 “The survey shows in stark terms how the pandemic delivered a devastating blow to the financial well being of Californians, particularly blacks and Latinos and those at the lower end of the wage scale. *** Among Californians earning less than $40,000 a year, 47% reported losing a job of a household member… compared to 22% of those earning more than $80,000 a year.”

  5. Dr. Ansorg also misled the County Supervisors. During the last presentation I watched he cited the mortality rates in SB based solely based of the testing they had done in county, without mentioning the lowered CDC mortality rates published, that SB’s rate are based on limited testing and mostly testing of the very sick, nor the addressing the age demographics/comorbidities. At the same time (but not at that presentation) Dr. Ansorg was citing the high % of asymptomatic carriers as the reasoning for his mask order. There was not one mention of large % of asymptomatic cases to the supervisors.

  6. @ 8:12 PM: I’m using the information the Public Health Department has published on their website, the same information you and Dr. Ansorg have access to but apparently refuse to acknowledge. It’s not exactly top secret.

  7. People who protested because their businesses were closed and who wanted to go back to work were called foolish, selfish, suicidal and “grandma killers.” All of the finger-wagging busybodies scolded people who protested the tyrannical government lockdown. But now it’s OK for them to march around arm in arm waving their homemade signs while chanting rhymes, and they’re not sure if it’s a health risk. What a farce.

  8. you have to admit some of these guidelines coming out are thought provoking….Contra Costa new Covid guidelines include – Social gatherings up to 12 people..then this wopper….permits up to 100 protesters. ???

  9. MP805, they really don’t know what they’re doing. But a large part of the population can’t think for themselves and need the government to tell them what they can and can not do , especially in states like CA.

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