SLO County inches closer to orange tier as a stubborn COVID-19 metric improves
San Luis Obispo County’s adjusted COVID-19 case rate fell on Tuesday to its second-lowest level since officials started tracking the data, and now the county is on the edge of having all three metrics within the state’s orange — or moderate — tier.
The county’s adjusted case rate needs to drop below Tuesday’s 4.0 adjusted case rate and stay below that number per 100,000 per day for two consecutive weeks in order to allow county businesses to further ease restrictions.
The adjusted case rate has been the sticking point in keeping the county in the red, or substantial, tier and has fluctuated between 9.6 cases and 3.5 cases per 100,000 people since Sept. 8.
Meanwhile, the county Public Health Department reported 17 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, according to ReadySLO.org, bringing the total to 4,191 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 locally since March.
As of Tuesday, 154 coronavirus cases are active in the county.
As of Oct. 20, San Luis Obispo County remains in California’s red COVID-19 tier — meaning that coronavirus spread has been “substantial,” but is no longer “widespread” according to the California State Department of Public Health.
The county has a positivity rate of 2% as of the latest data, representing no change from last week.
San Luis Obispo County had an adjusted average of 4.0 new cases per 100,000 people per day, with an unadjusted case rate 6.0, according to state data.
The health equity metric is at 3%, meaning that there is a 3% positivity rate for people who live in the 12 census tracts in San Luis Obispo County ranked in the lowest quarter of California’s Health Place Index.
COVID-19 new cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added since Monday in San Luis Obispo County:
- Paso Robles: 4
Atascadero: 2
San Luis Obispo: 7
Nipomo: 1
Creston: 2
Santa Margarita: 1
Oceano: 1
As of Tuesday, five COVID-19 cases were listed as “under investigation,” a decrease of one case since Monday. The locations of six cases were listed as “other.”
A total of eight on-campus Cal Poly students were in isolation due to coronavirus as of Tuesday, with an additional 78 students in quarantine. The university has a total of 233 COVID-19 cases to date.
For a detailed look at local coronavirus cases by age, ethnicity, occupation and more, visit ReadySLO.org.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
Here’s a look at San Luis Obispo County’s cases, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases as of Tuesday: 154
- Recovered cases: 4,003
- People recovering at home: 147
- People receiving hospital care: 7
- People in intensive care units: 1
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 33 (including two CMC inmates).
Where to get a COVID-19 test
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is urging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, or those who have come into contact with someone with the virus, to get tested.
Free coronavirus testing is available at clinics throughout San Luis Obispo County:
Arroyo Grande: Located at the South County Regional Center, 800 W. Branch St. in Arroyo Grande, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. This test center will operate until Oct. 23.
Morro Bay: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Veterans Memorial Building, 209 Surf St.
Paso Robles: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Frontier Pavilion, Paso Robles Event Center, 2198 Riverside Ave.
San Luis Obispo: At the Veterans Memorial Hall, 801 Grand Ave., 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
In addition, COVID-19 testing is available through private healthcare providers, urgent care centers and the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Lab.
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations. ReadySLO.org lists more than a dozen urgent care centers that offer COVID-19 testing.
To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
