SLO County adds 81 coronavirus cases after two-day dip in new cases
San Luis Obispo County added 81 new COVID-19 cases Thursday after two days of relatively lower new case counts.
The total number of active coronavirus cases in the county continued to trend downwards, dropping from 807 on Wednesday to 785 Thursday.
As of Thursday, the county remained in California’s most restrictive tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy for the fourth week in a row. Both the adjusted and unadjusted case rate rose, however, the positivity rate dropped slightly once more.
On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new regulations tied to intensive care unit capacity. Regions in California with low ICU capacity will face more severe restrictions.
San Luis Obispo County is considered to be part of the Southern California region with Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
In San Luis Obispo County, there are 53 intensive care unit beds and 369 hospital beds, 11 of which are occupied by coronavirus patients, according to ReadySLO.org.
A total of 6,549 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March, the county said.
San Luis Obispo County returned to the purple tier on Nov. 16. 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 Thursday, coronavirus transmission in San Luis Obispo County was considered “widespread,” according to the state public health department.
Tuesday marked the fourth 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 increased from 10.2 to 11.4 new cases per day per 100,000 people.
The unadjusted case rate continued to rise, increasing to 22.8 new cases per day per 100,000.
Along with the rise in case rate, the number of tests conducted per day also increased.
According to state data, San Luis Obispo County has conducted an average of 678.9 tests per day per 100,000 people — an increase from the 651.5 tests per 100,000 people that the county reported Nov. 24.
San Luis Obispo County’s positivity rate was at 4% as of the latest data, representing a .4-point improvement from the week prior.
The latest health equity metric released Nov. 16 calculated that the 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 was 4.8%. New data on the health equity metric was not released Tuesday.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added Thursday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
Paso Robles: 20
San Luis Obispo: 15
Arroyo Grande: 13
Nipomo: 7
Atascadero: 4
Morro Bay: 4
Templeton: 4
Oceano: 3
Cal Poly (on campus): 2
Grover Beach: 2
Shandon: 1
The locations of seven cases were listed as “other.” A total of 26 cases were under investigation, six more than Wednesday.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students is 861.
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 Thursday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 785
- Recovered cases: 5,630
- People recovering at home: 774
- People receiving hospital care: 11
- People in intensive care units: 1
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 38 (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:
- Grover Beach: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ramona Garden Park Center, 993 Ramona Ave.
- 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. The testing site will remain open for an additional two hours starting on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
- San Luis Obispo: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Veterans Memorial Hall, 801 Grand Ave.
- Nipomo: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Saturday. Senior Center 200 E. Dana St. This testing site will open on Thursday, Dec. 3.
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 Wednesday.
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 December 3, 2020 at 1:37 PM.
