4 COVID-19 deaths reported Friday in Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported four new coronavirus-related deaths on Friday, bringing the county's COVID-19 death toll to 289.

According to the public health department, two of the people lived in Santa Maria, one was a resident of Orcutt and the other lived in the Lompoc area.

Three of these people were over the age of 70 and the other was between the ages of 50 and 69. Three had underlying health conditions, public health said, and two deaths were associated with outbreaks at congregate care facilities -- such as 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 weeks to verify.

In addition to these four new deaths, the county also reported 406 new coronavirus cases Friday. 180 people are hospitalized, 48 of whom are in the ICU.

For a complete breakdown of coronavirus cases in Santa Barbara County, click here.