Why is Santa Maria a hotbed for coronavirus? Health officials say they’re ‘stumped’

If you don’t live in Northern Santa Barbara County — specifically the Santa Maria Valley — your chances of contracting COVID-19 these days appear to be much lower.

Over the past week, the North County has reported 69 new COVID-19 cases, compared to just 16 on the South Coast, even though the two areas have roughly the same populations.

Officials with the county’s Public Health Department have been asked repeatedly why the North County has been hit so much harder by the virulent disease.

The Public Health Department reported 12 new “community” COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with nine in Santa Maria, one in Orcutt and one in the North County unincorporated areas, which include New Cuyama, Guadalupe, Siquoc, Casmalia and Garey.

The 12th case is in the city of Santa Barbara.

That means the Santa Maria Valley now has nearly 59% of the county’s 665 “community” cases, which exclude the numbers reported in inmates at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex.

Adding in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys brings the North County to nearly 75% of the county’s cases, although less than 1% of them are from the Santa Ynez area.

County Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said at a recent press briefing that epidemiologists are “stumped” as to why cases are more prevalent in Santa Maria than other areas of the county, adding that there seems to be no trend in age, income level, occupation, ethnicity, native language, or particular neighborhood.

As of Thursday, the county reported 29 community members were being treated for COVID-19 in local hospitals, with 10 in intensive care units.

The hospitalization numbers have remained relatively stable over the last two weeks, even as the county has begun to reopen restaurants, businesses, churches and other activities.

Nearly 80 percent of the county’s community cases — 526 people — have fully recovered, according to Public Health.

There have been 13 COVID-19 deaths in the county, including three inmates from the Lompoc prison complex.

Of Thursday’s 12 new cases reported by the Public Health Department, five are in the 18-to-29 age group; six are in the 30-to-49 age group; and one is in the 70-plus age group.

The Lompoc prison complex, which has experienced a major outbreak of the novel coronavirus, was reported to have 971 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, a number that has not changed in more than a week.

Of the 17,619 COVID-19 tests administered in the county, 1,636 have come back positive, a little more than 9%.

However, that figure is heavily skewed by mass testing at the prison, and the facilities account for nearly 60% of the county’s overall cases.

Public health officials stress that, regardless of where you live, the risk of contracting COVID-19 can be significantly reduced by practicing social distancing, washing hands frequently, and wearing face masks.

They credit those tactics for making the progress that has allowed the community to reopen.