Santa Barbara County reports two new coronavirus deaths

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported two new coronavirus deaths on Tuesday. These new deaths bring the county's COVID-19 death toll to 142.

According to the public health department, both people were more than 70 years old. One lived in Lompoc and the other in Santa Maria. The public health department said neither of these two people had underlying health conditions.

One of these deaths is associated with an outbreak at a shared living facility, although the public health department did not specify which.

A death is counted as a coronavirus death when the public health department receives a death certificate that lists COVID-19 as the cause of death or a significant contributing factor in the death. It can often take weeks to verify.

These latest deaths are the fourth and fifth deaths reported in December. They come one day after the county reported its largest single-day increase in cases yet.

Santa Barbara County reported 207 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday. For a complete breakdown of cases in Santa Barbara County, click here.