12th SLO County resident dies due to COVID-19 during nursing home outbreak
A 12th San Luis Obispo County resident has died due to coronavirus, the county announced in a news release Wednesday.
The resident was in their 80s and lived at Vineyard Hills Health Center in Templeton, a skilled nursing facility that is currently experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak among staff and residents, according to the county.
The death comes a day after two Vineyard Hills residents in their 80s with underlying health conditions died from the virus.
At least seven residents and two employees at the Templeton nursing home tested positive July 22.
As of Wednesday, four residents and one former resident at Vineyard Hills Health Center, a skilled nursing facility in Templeton, have died due to COVID-19 since the outbreak began, according to the release.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family as we mourn this loss,” county public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in the release. “Each of us plays a role in preventing outbreaks in SLO County. Every time we make the choice to take precautions like wearing a face covering in public and maintaining six feet of distance from others, we help stop the virus from spreading and infecting our most vulnerable community members.”
According to the release, the county Public Health Department immediately partnered with Compass Health, which owns all seven skilled nursing facilities in the county, to slow the spread of coronavirus within the facility once a case was confirmed.
Those who have contracted the virus have been isolated and the county is conducting tests on a regular basis.
Borenstein asked that everyone in the county do their part to slow the spread of coronavirus by wearing face coverings in public and keeping six feet away from people from other households.
As of Tuesday, 1,710 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in San Luis Obispo County, with 45 new coronavirus cases since Monday.
For updates on COVID-19 in San Luis Obispo County, visit ReadySLO.org or call the recorded Public Health Information Line at 805-788-2903. A staffed phone assistance center at 805-543-2444 is available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist with questions related to COVID-19.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 1:28 PM.
