Thursday COVID-19 Update: 139 Cases

By edhat staff

As of Thursday evening, there are 28 additional cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) making the confirmed total 139 in Santa Barbara County.

Of the 139 cases, 24 have fully recovered, 81 are recovering at home, 23 are hospitalized with 16 of those cases in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 10 have yet to report their condition update, and 1 person has died. The ages and locations of each case can be found here.

Santa Barbara County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg stated new scientific data reveals it’s possible for COVID-19 to spread 48 hours before the patient develops symptoms. Now being referred to as “pre-symptomatic,” health officials are starting to ask those who test positive to inform anyone they came into contact with in the past 2 days of possible exposure.

“This makes the mandate for social distancing more crucial,” said Dr. Ansorg. 

The recent announcement from the State of California for all residents to wear a mask when performing essential tasks was prompted by this research. The facial covering or cloth mask is mostly to prevent the virus from spreading into the environment from asymptomatic and presymptomatic carriers, said Dr. Ansorg.

With regards to testing, Pacific Diagnostic Labs has recently opened and can provide a small number of same-day tests, approximately 10 per day. They hope to increase the number of same-day testing as supplies become more available. 

Cottage Health Numbers

Below is a status update as of April 2, 2020.  Cottage Health will be providing the attached summary and daily updates:

• Cottage is caring for 138 patients; 235 beds remain available.  
• In surge planning, capacity is identified for adding 270 acute care beds.
• Of the 138 patients, 10 patients are on ventilators; 50 ventilators remain available (adult, pediatric and neonatal ventilators)
• Of the 138 patients, 26 patients are in isolation for COVID-19 symptoms.
• Of the 26 patients in isolation, 9 patients are in critical care
• Cottage has collected 1,102 cumulative test samples: 56 resulted in positive, 824 resulted in negative, and 222 are pending.

“Anyone who needs hospital care – whether related to COVID-19 or any other condition – should feel safe to seek care at any of Cottage’s hospitals,” says Robin Malone, MD, Chief of Staff at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital. “While we are asking those who are well or have mild symptoms to stay sheltered at home, it is important not to delay care for urgent issues like shortness of breath, sudden or severe pain, bodily injuries or any condition when you normally seek hospital care. Please call 911 if you feel you are in an emergency, and seek medical care if you need it. Our hospitals are here for you, and our staff have protective equipment and precautions in place to help protect against the spread of germs.”

 It was reported this week that Cottage Health received nearly 200,000 N95 masks. These masks were offered from the State cache to the County as part of a standard emergency response request process. Unfortunately, while in the state inventory, the elastic strap has degraded over time and no longer functions. These masks are unusable in their current condition. Cottage has quickly begun exploring possibilities with manufacturing partners for potential repairs and will only use these masks if proven safe and usable for healthcare workers.

SLO & Ventura County Numbers

As of Thursday evening, Ventura County reports 17 new cases making the total 177. Out of 177, there are 36 recoveries, 40 hospitalizations, 135 active cases under home quarantine, and 6 deaths. Of the 6 deaths, 5 people were in their 70s with preexisting health conditions and 1 person was in their 80s with a preexisting health condition.

Ventura County Public Health Officer, Doctor Robert Levin, has changed his position on face masks, no longer advising against wearing them in public. Instead, he supports those residents who wish to cover their nose and mouth when leaving home for essential travel to doctor appointments, grocery shopping or pharmacy visits. The face coverings should not be hospital grade at this time because there is a shortage and our health professionals need them.

San Luis Obispo County is reporting 89 confirmed cases as of Thursday afternoon. Of the 89 cases, 33 are recovering at home, 48 have fully recovered, and 8 are hospitalized.