SLO County COVID-19 deaths pass milestone as county adds 184 coronavirus cases
San Luis Obispo County added 184 coronavirus cases on Tuesday and officially passed a tragic milestone.
Tuesday marked the highest number of local deaths due to COVID-19 reported in a single day.
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department reported six additional coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the local death toll to 52. Previously, the highest number of local COVID-19 deaths reported in a day was four on Dec. 4.
According to the county, the most recent people to die due to COVID-19 were a person in their 40s, four people in their 80s and one person in their 90s. All had underlying health conditions, county officials said.
“We must slow the spread and protect each other,” the county Public Health Department tweeted.
The new death reports came nearly a week after county officials said they were waiting on final death certificates of seven individuals.
A total of 7,895 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since mid-March, the county said.
Active cases increased from 1,332 on Monday to 1,408 on Tuesday.
Hospitalizations however dipped slightly from 29 on Monday to 22 on Tuesday.
According to the county Public Health Department, there have been COVID-19 outbreaks at more than 20 local congregate living facilities, including skilled nursing facilities, fire departments and California Men’s Colony state prison in San Luis Obispo.
“(COVID-19) ... is having its way with us and we need to turn that around and all take it seriously,” Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer, said at a Dec. 9 news conference.
As of Tuesday, San Luis Obispo County remained in California’s most restrictive tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy and under the Southern California regional stay-at-home order.
The county returned to the purple tier on Nov. 16. The stay-at-home order went into just before midnight on Dec. 6.
What is ICU bed availability in Southern California and SLO County?
The state began reporting intensive care unit bed availability in each county on Dec. 8 following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s regulations tied to intensive care unit capacity. Regions in California with low ICU capacity will face more severe restrictions.
According to the state, 20 of San Luis Obispo County ICU beds were available Tuesday.
In San Luis Obispo County, there are 53 intensive care unit beds, according to the county Public Health Department. Of those, seven were occupied by COIVD-19 patients on Tuesday.
Even though San Luis Obispo County’s ICU availability isn’t below 15%, the ICU availability in the Southern California region means that the county falls under a new stay-at-home order.
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.
As of Tuesday, ICU availability in the Southern California region has continued to trend downward. Only 1.7% of the ICU beds in the Sothern California region were available Tuesday.
The stay-at-home order 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 Tuesday, coronavirus transmission in San Luis Obispo County was considered “widespread,” according to the state public health department.
Dec. 15 marked the sixth 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 once again, changing from 16.3 to 20.4 new cases per day per 100,000 people.
The unadjusted case rate rose from 18.8 to 27.4 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 6.5%, a 2.3-percentage point increase from the week prior.
The latest health equity metric released Dec. 15 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 6%, a jump up from the 4.2% reported the week prior.
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:
- California Men’s Colony: 51
- Paso Robles: 30
- Atascadero: 28
- San Luis Obispo: 22
- Arroyo Grande: 8
- Oceano: 8
- Nipomo: 7
- Pismo Beach: 4
- Los Osos: 4
- Grover Beach: 4
- San Miguel: 2
- Santa Margarita: 2
- Morro Bay: 2
- Atascadero State Hospital: 1
- Templeton: 1
- Cambria: 1
The locations of 10 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 28 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.
The CDCR has recorded 487 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates, with no new cases Tuesday.
Similarly, the county’s data for ASH does not match that of the DSS.
According to the DSS, ASH has had a total of 68 coronavirus-positive patients, with an increase of one coronavirus cases since Monday.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 884 as of Tuesday.
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 Tuesday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 1,408
- Recovered cases: 6,429
- People recovering at home: 1,386
- People receiving hospital care: 22
- People in intensive care units: 7
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 52 (including two California Men’s Colony inmates)
- Local ICU beds available: 20 (out of 53)
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.
