SLO County adds more than 100 coronavirus cases — and 3 COVID-19 deaths
San Luis Obispo County added 106 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, passing the 7,000-case mark.
Also on Wednesday, three additional county residents died due to COVID-19, according to the county Public Health Department.
“Sadly, 3 more of our neighbors have succumbed to COVID-19, bringing number of deaths to 45,” San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials tweeted. “One person was in their 60s, one in their 70s, and one in their 80s. They were vulnerable to severe illness (because) of underlying conditions.”
Along with a jump in coronavirus cases, local hospitalizations rose to a total of 18 coronavirus patients, seven of whom were in the intensive care unit.
Wednesday’s hospitalization count was the highest that San Luis Obispo County has seen since mid-August. There have also never been more than seven patients in local ICUs for COVID-19 at once.
A total of 7,071 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March, the county said.
San Luis Obispo County reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 13 days, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Wednesday, San Luis Obispo County remained in California’s most restrictive tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
The 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 does new stay-at-home order mean for SLO County?
The state began reporting intensive care unit bed availability in each county on Tuesday following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 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 — along with Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
According to data released Tuesday, 48.9% of San Luis Obispo County ICU beds were available.
In San Luis Obispo County, there are 53 intensive care unit beds. Of those, seven were occupied by COIVD-19 patients on Wednesday.
Even though San Luis Obispo County’s ICU availability isn’t considered low, the ICU availability in the Southern California region means that the county falls under a new stay-at-home order.
The stay-at-home order, which went into effect just before midnight Sunday, will remain in place for at least three weeks.
Under it, local retail stores are limited to 20% capacity inside. Restaurants are closed to indoor and outdoor dining, and bars, wineries and hair salons are required to close. In addition, places of worship will only be allowed to have outdoor services.
In response, San Luis Obispo County is pushing for the state to separate it from the Southern California region.
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties jointly petitioned the state to form a Central Coast region under California’s regional stay-at-home order.
What tier is SLO County in?
As of Wednesday, coronavirus transmission in San Luis Obispo County was considered “widespread,” according to the state public health department.
Dec. 8 marked the fifth 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 greatly from 11.4 to 16.3 new cases per day per 100,000 people.
However the unadjusted case rate dropped for the first time in weeks, from 22.8 to 18.8 new cases per day per 100,000.
The state did not release new data on number of COIVD-19 tests conducted per day Tuesday. The latest testing data, released Dec. 1, indicated the county had conducted 678.9 tests per 100,000 people.
San Luis Obispo County’s positivity rate was at 4.8% as of the latest data, representing a .8-point increase from the week prior.
The latest health equity metric released Dec. 86 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 4.2%. The last health equity quartile positivity rate was released Nov. 16 at 4.8%.
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:
- Paso Robles: 40
- Arroyo Grande: 13
- Atascadero: 8
- Nipomo:7
- San Luis Obispo: 6
- Grover Beach: 5
- Oceano: 5
California Men’s Colony: 4
- San Miguel: 4
- California Men’s Colony: 4
- Morro Bay: 3
- Pismo Beach: 3
- Templeton: 3
- Creston: 1
- Shandon: 1
The locations of eight cases were listed as “other.” A total of 16 cases were under investigation.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 871 as of Wednesday.
According to the California Department of Correction’s and Rehabilitation, the total number of inmates at California Men’s Colony positive for COVID-19 was 367 coronavirus cases. Of those, 61 cases were added in the past 14 days.
However, according to ReadySLO.org, CMC has had 333 coronavirus cases.
Atascadero State Hospital has had 44 total coronavirus positive patients, less than 11 of whom tested positive in the past 14 days, according to the Department of State Hospitals.
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 Wednesday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 948
- Recovered cases: 6,072
- People recovering at home: 930
- People receiving hospital care: 18
- People in intensive care units: 7
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 45 (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.
Nipomo: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Senior Center 200 E. Dana St.
- Paso Robles: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through 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.
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 9, 2020 at 1:36 PM.
