216th COVID-19 Patient Dies In Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency announced Thursday its third COVID-19-related death of a fully vaccinated person this week.

The patient marks the county's 216th COVID-19 death. All other deaths have been among unvaccinated individuals.

He was a man in his early 90s with several underlying medical conditions who died Saturday, the county said in a statement. His case is believed to be community-acquired, meaning officials are unsure of who might have sickened the man.

"The Delta Variant is easily spread from person to person leading to almost all new cases being community acquired, where the source of the infection isn’t known," health officials said in a statement. "Vaccination continues to be the best tool to stop the spread of COVID-19."

People who have underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised are encouraged to get a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, wear masks, stay six feet from others they don't live with, and avoid crowds and areas with little ventilation, officials said.