Coronavirus Cancels One Cruise Ship in Santa Barbara, 10 More to Go
No Confirmed Cases but COVID-19 Presence Assumed
The leading lights of Santa Barbara’s health-care universe — some dramatically attired in white lab coats — took their message about the gathering coronavirus pandemic to the County Board of Supervisors first thing Tuesday morning and later in the day to the Santa Barbara City Council. Their remarks were, in equal turns, both reassuring and alarming.
The good news, the elected officials were told, is that Santa Barbara has no confirmed cases of coronavirus and no suspected cases. The number of test kits now available has increased dramatically over the past week. The three virus swab tests have come back negative. Santa Barbara seems to have an adequate supply of medical gowns, gloves, masks, and goggles. Countywide, Santa Barbara has 62 hospital rooms equipped for the isolation and negative ventilation flow the virus demands. Of those, Cottage Health has 47.
To date, San Luis Obispo County in the north has no reported cases. Ventura County, to the south, has just one. “We are well prepared,” declared Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County’s Health Officer. “This is what we have been trained to do.” Ansorg cited his department’s ability to contain potential outbreaks of the H1N1 flu, Ebola, MRSA and tuberculosis in the past.
