Santa Barbara County reports 54 new COVID-19 cases, two new deaths

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported 54 new cases of COVID-19 and two new coronavirus-related deaths Friday.

These latest deaths bring the county's COVID-19 death toll to 428.

According to the public health department, one person lived in Lompoc and the other was a Santa Maria resident.

Each had underlying health conditions and were over the age of 70, public health said. The deaths were not associated with any outbreaks at shared living facilities like nursing homes or retirement communities.

A death is considered to be coronavirus-related when the health department receives a death certificate that lists COVID-19 as the cause of death or a significant contributing factor in the death. The process can sometimes take several days or weeks to verify.

43 people are currently hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County. Among them, 15 people are in the intensive care unit.

For a complete breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara County, click here.