SLO County remains in California’s coronavirus red tier despite improvement in some areas
San Luis Obispo County stayed in California’s red tier for reopening once more, with the county’s case rate metric sliding back ever so slightly from the brink of the orange tier, according to state data released Wednesday.
However, the testing positivity rate and health equity metric both improved since the previous week, placing them at “minimal” and “moderate” coronavirus spread levels, respectively.
On Wednesday, the county added 42 new coronavirus cases, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Wednesday, a total of 4,422 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March.
As of data release Wednesday, San Luis Obispo County has continued to have “substantial” coronavirus spread, according to the California State Department of Public Health.
The weekly tier update, which is usually released on Tuesdays, was pushed to Wednesday due to the national election.
San Luis Obispo County’s positivity rate is at 1.9% as of the latest data, representing a .1 percentage point improvement from the week prior.
The county has an adjusted average of 4.1 new cases per 100,000 people per day, with an unadjusted case rate of 6.1, according to state data. Both metrics were .1 percentage points higher than the week prior, but still remains near the orange tier requirements.
And the health equity metric dropped more than one percentage point this week, landing at 1.3% — meaning that there is a 1.3% 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. That is in the moderate tier’s range.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added Wednesday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
- San Luis Obispo: 22
- Atascadero: 8
Paso Robles: 7
- Templeton: 2
Morro Bay: 1
- Arroyo Grande: 1
Two cases were removed form San Miguel’s count.
As of Wednesday, five COVID-19 cases were listed as “under investigation.” The locations of six cases were listed as “other.”
A total of 21 on-campus Cal Poly students were in isolation due to coronavirus as of Wednesday, with an additional 204 students in quarantine. The university has reported a total of 280 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 on Tuesday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 230
- Recovered cases: 4,159
- People recovering at home: 221
- People receiving hospital care: 9
- People in intensive care units: 2
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 34 (including two California Men’s Colony 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.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 1:40 PM.
