SLO County adds nearly 200 coronavirus cases in a single day: ‘Things are getting real’
San Luis Obispo County added at least 196 new coronavirus cases Thursday, breaking the record for single-highest daily tally for the second time this week.
Active cases and hospitalizations also hit record highs.
The county reported its second-highest daily tally — 186 new coronavirus cases — on Saturday.
Thursday’s hospitalization count was the highest that San Luis Obispo County has ever seen — with a total of 21 coronavirus patients in local hospitals, including seven in intensive care units. There have also never been more than seven patients in local ICUs for COVID-19 at once.
A total of 7,267 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March, the county said.
Active cases also soared in the county, reaching 1,088 on Thursday.
The county Public Health Department said Wednesday that there have been COVID-19 outbreaks at 20 local facilities, including at skilled nursing facilities, fire departments and California Men’s Colony state prison in San Luis Obispo.
Although no coronavirus-related deaths were reported Thursday, the death toll in San Luis Obispo County increased 30% within a week’s time, from Dec. 2 to Wednesday ,
“If you haven’t been paying attention for nine or 10 months, this is the moment in our county where things are getting real,” Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer, said at a Wednesday news briefing.
The county Public Health Department announced Wednesday that it has adopted reduced COVID-19 quarantine for some people, based on recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a news release.
Asymptomatic people will now only have to quarantine for 10, not 14 days, after exposure to the virus.
As of Thursday, San Luis Obispo County remained in California’s most restrictive tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy and under the new shelter-at-home order.
The county returned to the purple tier on Nov. 16. The shelter-at-home order went into effect Sunday at midnight.
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 state, 41.5% of San Luis Obispo County ICU beds were available Thursday.
In San Luis Obispo County, there are 53 intensive care unit beds. Of those, seven were occupied by COIVD-19 patients on Thursday.
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.
As of Thursday, ICU availability in the Southern California region was 7.7%, about 7.3 oercentage points below California’s stay-at-home order threshold.
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.
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: 32
- Arroyo Grande: 25
- San Luis Obispo: 24
- Atascadero: 24
- California Men’s Colony (inmates): 17
- Nipomo: 15
- Templeton: 13
- Atascadero State Hospital (patients): 1
- Grover Beach: 8
- Shandon: 7
- Oceano: 6
- Pismo Beach: 4
- San Miguel: 4
- Los Osos: 3
- Morro Bay: 3
- Cambria: 2
The locations of nine cases were listed as “other.” A total of 22 cases were under investigation.
Outbreaks at the California Men’s Colony and Atascadero State Hospital have been greater than indicated by county data, according to data from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Department of State Hospitals — which oversee coronavirus cases at the two facilities respectively.
According to county data, CMC’s COVID-19 case count reached 350 on Thursday with an increase of 55 inmate cases in the past 14 days.
However, the CDCR has recorded 420 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates, an increase of 113 inmate cases in the past 14 days as of Thursday.
Similarly, the county’s data for ASH does not match that of the DSS.
According to the DSS, ASH has had a total of 56 coronavirus-positive patients, with an increase of 16 coronavirus cases over the past 14 days.
County data shows that ASH has had only 25 coronavirus-positive patients with an increase of two over the past 14 days.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 872 as of Thursday.
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: 1,088
- Recovered cases: 6,127
- People recovering at home: 1,067
- People receiving hospital care: 21
- People in intensive care units: 7
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 45 (including two California Men’s Colony inmates)
- Local ICU beds available: 22 (out of 53)
An additional seven people died while positive for coronavirus and the county is awaiting their final death certificate before confirming that COIVD-19 was a leading cause of death, Borenstein said Wednesday.
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 10, 2020 at 2:17 PM.
CORRECTION: The story has been updated to reflect a total of 7,267 coronavirus cases had been confirmed as of Thursday, not 7,726 coronavirus cases.
