First COVID-Related Pediatric Death Reported in Santa Barbara County
COVID-19 Cases Spiking to 'Unprecedented Levels'
Santa Barbara County reported its first COVID-related pediatric death Friday, just one of several grim pandemic milestones that the county has hit in recent days. The child was from Santa Maria.
“We know that Thanksgiving gatherings contributed to high rates of COVID transmission,” Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said. “In the weeks following Thanksgiving, our COVID case rate, number of newly reported cases, number of active cases, and hospitalizations have spiked to unprecedented levels.”
Since Thanksgiving, Santa Barbara County’s unadjusted case rate has increased by 67 percent, to 30.96 cases per 100,000 people. In addition, testing positivity during this time doubled and is now at 8 percent. Active cases have increased nearly three-fold to over 1,100 active cases in the county.
