For the first time since the start of the coronavirus crisis, Santa Barbara County has the most diagnosed cases of any county on the Central and South Coasts. But, it’s an isolated outbreak at a prison facility which led to the county’s surge in numbers.
The number of cases in the region grew by 86 Wednesday, with 69 of them in Santa Barbara County. 65 of the 69 new cases are linked to an ongoing outbreak at the federal prison complex in Lompoc.
A hospital has been built at the prison complex to handle the outbreak onsite. Part of the reason for the grow in numbers is that the prison is testing 100% of its inmates.
There are now 1429 cases in the region. Santa Barbara County has 613. Ventura County is at 608, and San Luis Obispo County 208. No new deaths have been reported, with the total still at 29.
