Five more coronavirus deaths reported in Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Five more residents of Santa Barbara County have died of COVID-19. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department reported the new deaths Tuesday afternoon.

These latest deaths bring the county's COVID-19 death toll to 303.

Two people were residents of Santa Maria, two lived in Lompoc and the other lived in an unincorporated area of northern Santa Barbara County.

According to the public health department, all five people were over the age of 70 and four had underlying health conditions. Two deaths are associated with outbreaks at congregate facilities, like nursing homes or retirement communities.

As a reminder, the county said 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.

The county also reported 181 new cases on Monday. 161 people are hospitalized, 48 of whom are in the ICU.

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