COVID-19 Cases Double in 72 Hours: County Gets 1 Million Masks
Hospital Beds, Medical Supplies, and Emergency Workers in Gov. Newsom’s Surge Plan
The number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized has doubled and the number in intensive care units have tripled the past four days in both Santa Barbara County and the State of California — pushing the state and county to continue ramping up surge planning for the inevitable escalation in cases.
“We expected a doubling of cases within three days, and that’s exactly what we are seeing,” said the county’s health officer, Dr. Henning Ansorg, at a Monday press conference. “It is an indicator of just how infectious this thing is.”
The county now has 88 infected patients, 20 of whom were announced today in the biggest jump so far. Fourteen are in the hospital, 10 of them in the ICU. Of the new cases today, nine are in Santa Maria, one is in Orcutt, six are in unincorporated parts of North County, three are in Lompoc, and 49 are recovering at home.
