Cal Poly students’ COVID outbreak pushes SLO County toward purple tier as metrics surge

San Luis Obispo County continued an alarming trend in new coronavirus cases on Tuesday while its weekly state metrics suddenly surged to levels that threaten its red-tier status under California’s Blueprint for a Safe Economy.

In the course of a week, the adjusted case rate ballooned from 4.1 cases per 100,000 residents per day to 7.2, moving from the bottom edge of the red tier into the purple tier for that metric. The other two state metrics also increased substantially.

Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer, told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the county’s COVID-19 metrics are now trending in the range of the state’s purple tier, meaning some businesses may have to close indoor operations in a matter of weeks.

She said she’s hoping to work with the state to give the county a bit more time to get its coronavirus numbers down before officials implement tougher restrictions.

“We very much don’t want businesses to be going through this back-and-forth, open-close,” Borenstein said.

The county added 52 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, according to ReadySLO.org, bringing the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus since March to 4,846.

Tuesday’s new cases came after a startling spike over recent days.

Since Thursday, when a mass of cases among young adults erupted in San Luis Obispo, a total of 424 people have tested locally for COVID-19, peaking with 128 cases on Saturday. That marked the highest number of new coronavirus cases reported in a single day.

Borenstein said coronavirus spread among members of the Cal Poly community has contributed significantly to the recent spike in the county’s cases.

According to the county Public Health Department, many of the county’s active coronavirus cases involve Cal Poly students living off campus in San Luis Obispo “who are gathering without proper safety precautions.”

According to ReadySLO.org, 33 of the latest local coronavirus cases involved patients ages 18 to 29. On one day last week, young adults made up nearly three-quarters of the new cases.

The increase is manifesting itself in some new, high-profile outbreaks.

As of Monday, at least four Cal Poly football players and five Cuesta College baseball players had tested positive for COVID-19, according to public health and school officials.

The rise in student cases poses an ominous risk of spread outside San Luis Obispo as a large number of on- and off-campus students will likely be leaving town to return home for Thanksgiving break this month. However, that could have a positive impact on the county’s COVID-19 case count, Borenstein said.

A new coronavirus outbreak has also been reported at Atascadero State Hospital.

San Luis Obispo County’s numbers mirror a state trend that saw 11 California counties move back to more restrictive tiers on Tuesday. It was also the first time no counties advanced to a less restrictive tier, the Los Angeles Times reported.

What tier is SLO County in?

As of Tuesday, San Luis Obispo County continues to have “substantial” coronavirus spread, according to the California State Department of Public Health.

San Luis Obispo County’s positivity rate was at 3.0% as of the latest data, representing a 1.7 percentage increase from the week prior.

The county had an adjusted average of 7.2 new cases per 100,000 people per day, which is in the purple tier level, with an unadjusted case rate of 10.2, according to state data. Both metrics were more than 3 percentage points higher than the week prior.

And the health equity metric has increased to 4.8% 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.

According to county public information officer Michelle Shoresman, “The state’s (coronavirus restriction) blueprint allows for some flexing in numbers.”

“Before we moved into the red tier, we had to meet red tier metrics for two weeks before the move could actually occur. The same holds true now,” Shoresman wrote in an email Tuesday. “As of today, we meet the purple tier metrics, but we do not yet actually move to the purple tier. If we meet those purple metrics for two weeks, then we will officially move back to purple.”

New COVID-19 cases by city

Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added Tuesday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:

• Cal Poly (on-campus students): 22

• San Luis Obispo: 8

• Atascadero State Hospital: 6

• Paso Robles: 5

• Nipomo: 2

• Oceano: 2

• San Miguel: 2

• Arroyo Grande: 1

• Morro Bay: 1

As of Tuesday, five COVID-19 cases were listed as “under investigation.” The locations of four additional cases were listed as “other.”



One case was removed from Atascadero’s total count, and Santa Margarita’s case count also went down by one.

The county Public Health Department listed Atascadero State Hospital as a separate location for the first time on Monday.

A total of 12 employees and 20 patients at Atascadero State Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, according to the California Department of State Hospitals, which oversees ASH.

A total of 95 on-campus Cal Poly students were in isolation due to coronavirus as of Monday, with an additional 880 students in quarantine. The university has reported a total of 488 COVID-19 cases to date.

For a detailed look at local coronavirus cases by age, 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 Monday, according to the county Public Health Department:

• Active cases: 500
• Recovered cases: 4,312
• People recovering at home: 491
• People receiving hospital care: 9
• People in intensive care units: 2
• Deaths due to COVID-19: 33 (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:

• 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: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Veterans Memorial Hall, 801 Grand Ave.
  
  

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.

How to report a COVID-19 code violation

To report violations of coronavirus-related orders meant to limit the spread of COVID-19, call the San Luis Obispo County COVID Enforcement hotline at 805-788-2222 or email covid-compliance@co.slo.ca.us.

Or call County Covid Enforcement at (805) 788-2222. Staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 2:19 PM.