SLO County adds more than 100 coronavirus cases, reaches second highest daily tally
San Luis Obispo County added 121 coronavirus cases Friday, reaching the second highest daily tally since the pandemic began.
Four of the county’s five highest daily tallies have come in the past two weeks, according to ReadySLO.org.
A total of 5,607 county residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March, according to the county Public Health Department.
The city of San Luis Obispo has continued to see the highest rise in cases over the past few weeks. The city is nearing Paso Robles in terms of total coronavirus cases.
Since Oct. 30, San Luis Obispo has added 473 cases, while Paso Robles has added 242 cases in that same time frame.
Cal Poly students living on campus have also tripled their number of coronavirus cases since the beginning of the month, adding 193 cases.
The number of local cases in the 18-to-29 age group has increased 52% in November alone. In comparison, the next highest age group, 30 to 49, has increased only 16% over that period.
Although coronavirus spread among members of the Cal Poly community has contributed to the ongoing surge, county Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein noted that they’re not the only cause.
“I hear a lot of people blame Cal Poly for this and I want to be perfectly clear: No single group in our community is to blame,” Borenstein said in a news release Monday. “Even if we removed cases among Cal Poly students, our case rate would still likely put us back in the purple tier, according to our local data.”
San Luis Obispo County returned to the most restrictive tier under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy on Monday. That means that many local businesses must revert to extremely limited indoor capacity or close their indoor services altogether.
What tier is SLO County in?
As of Friday, coronavirus transmission in San Luis Obispo County was considered “widespread,” according to the California State Department of Public Health.
Monday marked the second consecutive week with an adjusted case rate above the threshold of the red tier — seven new cases per day per 100,000 people. Case rate is adjusted by the number of tests conducted within the county per day.
The county’s adjusted average skyrocketed to 12.5 new cases per 100,000 people per day, which is 5.5 points above the level needed to qualify for the red tier, according to state data. The unadjusted case rate came in at 17.7, more than 7 points higher than data released the week prior.
San Luis Obispo County’s positivity rate was at 5.1% as of the latest data, representing a 2.1-point increase from the week prior.
The health equity metric remained at a 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.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added Friday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
San Luis Obispo: 40
Paso Robles: 20
Cal Poly (on-campus students): 16
Arroyo Grande: 8
Atascadero: 7
Morro Bay: 6
Los Osos: 5
Nipomo: 5
Pismo Beach: 3
Grover Beach: 3
Creston: 2
Oceano: 2
Shandon: 1
Santa Margarita: 1
California Men’s Colony: 1
Templeton: 1
An additional nine cases were listed as under investigation on Friday. The locations of nine cases were listed as “other.”
Total coronavirus cases by city are:
- Paso Robles: 1,340
San Luis Obispo: 1,314
- Atascadero: 504
Nipomo: 405
- California Men’s Colony: 295
- Arroyo Grande: 289
Cal Poly (on campus): 247
Templeton: 177
San Miguel: 196
- Grover Beach: 191
Oceano: 153
- Morro Bay: 89
- Los Osos: 83
Pismo Beach: 79
- Shandon: 61
Santa Margarita: 41
- Cambria: 38
- Creston: 30
- Cayucos: 19
- Avila Beach: 12
- San Simeon: 7
A total of 39 patients and 74 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at Atascadero State Hospital, according to the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH), which oversees ASH. The DSH case numbers differ from the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department totals.
A total of 66 on-campus Cal Poly students were in isolation due to coronavirus as of Friday, with an additional 1,176 students in quarantine. The San Luis Obispo university has reported a total of 776 COVID-19 cases as of Friday.
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 Friday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 738
- Recovered cases: 4,834
- People recovering at home: 728
- People receiving hospital care: 10
- People in intensive care units: 2
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 35 (including two California Men’s Colony inmates)
Here is a look at the racial breakdown of local coronavirus cases:
Hispanic and Latino: 2,309
White: 2,164
Other and under investigation: 853
Black or African American: 119
Asian and Pacific Islander: 75
Multiracial: 79
American Indian or Alaska Native: 8
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: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. South County Regional Center, 800 W Branch St.
- 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.
Free testing appointments at county-ran sites were booked for several days or weeks in advance as of Thursday.
San Luis Obispo County public health officials urge people to use self-swab at-home tests if they are not experiencing coronavirus symptoms or have not been exposed to a person who has COVID-19.
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.
This story was originally published November 20, 2020 at 1:23 PM.
