Coronavirus updates: 7 SLO County nursing home residents, 4th jail inmate test positive
San Luis Obispo County reported 24 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1,393, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Wednesday, there were 469 active COVID-19 patients in San Luis Obispo County.
Here are your local updates for Wednesday:
Fourth SLO Jail inmate tests positive for coronavirus
A fourth San Luis Obispo County Jail inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
The inmate was found to have coronavirus symptoms on July 21 and was immediately isolated from the other inmates, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
On Saturday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that two county jail inmates had tested positive for coronavirus, the first reported cases of COVID-19 at the facility.
The Sheriff’s Office reported Sunday that a third inmate tested positive for COVID-19 along with a patrol deputy and a correctional deputy. Two correctional deputies tested positive last week.
COVID-19 outbreak at Templeton nursing home
Seven residents and two staff members at a skilled nursing facility in Templeton had tested positive for coronavirus as of Wednesday.
All Vineyard Hills Health Center residents and staff were tested for COVID-19 after a hospitalized resident tested positive for coronavirus last week, according to parent company Compass Health, which owns all seven skilled nursing facilities in the county.
The resident, a hospice patient who had a history of “severe and chronic respiratory problems,” died while COVID-19 positive on July 17.
SLO County Jail in ‘state of hyper-vigilance’ after cases
San Luis Obispo County Jail staff are “in a state of hyper-vigilance” after a handful of inmates and deputies tested positive for COVID-19, the jail’s top doctor said.
Though staff members has tested roughly 100 inmates in the last 48 hours, chief medical officer Dr. Christy Mulkerin says it’s too early to say that a potential outbreak has been contained.
While neighboring counties’ jails such as Santa Barbara and Monterey are struggling to suppress outbreaks that began in March, San Luis Obispo County Jail did not have a positive case until last week.
Cuesta College holds in-person classes amid pandemic
A small number of teachers at Cuesta College, a public community college with three campuses in San Luis Obispo County, taught in-person classes this summer despite restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Physiology, engineering and manufacturing, and electrical classes were offered in person during the summer term, while some sports were coached on campus. Men’s water polo, cross country and women’s volleyball were all able to resume training.
Human physiology teacher Chris Machado designed a strict protocol for his students, who wore masks and had their temperatures checked before they entered the classroom.
Seventh SLO County resident dies of COVID-19
A seventh San Luis Obispo County resident has died due to COVID-19, the county Public Health Department reported Tuesday.
The person was in their 80s and lived in a North County nursing home that had experienced a coronavirus outbreak, the county said in a news release. The person had multiple chronic health conditions but was not hospitalized.
The county did not identify the nursing facility or the suspected source of transmission.
City to the Sea race canceled due to coronavirus
The 2020 City to the Sea Half Marathon & 5K has been canceled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The popular running event will be postponed until September 2021, organizers announced Monday in a news release.
This year’s race was to begin Sept. 12 on Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo and end at Dinosaur Caves Park in Pismo Beach, according to the City to the Sea website.
The cancellation also affects a five-kilometer run and a kids’ fun run, set to take place on Sept. 13.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 11:33 AM.
