Santa Barbara’s Ability to Test for COVID-19 Increases Slightly

As of Saturday morning, county health authorities are still reporting no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Santa Barbara, but the number of tests reported has gone up to 15. That’s an increase of nine tests — up from six the day before. Of those, the results of six are negative and nine remain pending.

Testing protocol has been shifting on an almost daily basis reflecting the relatively recent role of private testing labs in easing testing shortages and the attendant logjam. These changes have likewise added some confusion as to the numbers. Until Thursday evening, for example, the official number of tests conducted had been seven. At the press conference Thursday night in which the local state of emergency was announced, the number shifted down to six. Part of the confusion stems from recent changes in protocol.

Initially, all tests had to be approved by the county health officer. Now — with the arrival of two private testing labs into the local market — physicians have greater latitude in ordering tests on their own. Two of the tests, for example, had been submitted by the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics’ outlet in Goleta.