SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—The Santa Cruz County Public Health Division announced Wednesday morning the eighth death of a resident due to Covid-19.
The resident, who died in their home, was a Hispanic male in his early 40s who lived in South County. While the individual had underlying health conditions, officials confirmed that Covid-19 was the primary cause of death.
The Public Health Communicable Disease Unit is investigating how he acquired the infection and contact tracing is still underway.
Although the rate of new Covid-19 cases in Santa Cruz County is declining, the County is still seeing a disproportionate number of cases among residents of South County, as well as in the Latinx community.
As of Thursday morning, there were currently 2,175 documented cases of Covid-19 in Santa Cruz County, 284 of which are known active cases. A total of 1,883 people have recovered.
Of known cases, 1,365 were in South County. Hispanic/Latinx residents made up 1,351 of these cases.
The County reports that 64.66% of known cases were most likely due to person-to-person exposure of people living in the same household.
Anyone experiencing symptoms are encouraged to see their provider for testing and follow up care. The Optum Serve testing site at Ramsay Park in Watsonville is also open Wednesday through Sunday 7am–7pm by appointment. Appointments can be made online here.
Individuals without Internet access can call (888) 634-1123 to arrange an appointment.
For questions, or more information call (831) 454-4242 Monday through Friday 8am—5pm, or 2-1-1 outside of those hours.
