SLO County passes 9,000-coronavirus case mark and adds 5 COVID-19 deaths
San Luis Obispo County’s sharp rise in coronavirus cases continued Tuesday, as the county passed the 9,000-case mark.
The county has added 1,166 coronavirus cases in the past seven days.
The health equity metric, positivity rate, adjusted and unadjusted case rate all soared since Dec. 15.
San Luis Obispo County added 258 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, breaking the record for highest daily case tally that was set Saturday. A total of 229 new cases were reported on that day.
On Tuesday, the county Public Health Department reported five additional deathd due to COVID-19 — involving two people in their 70s, one person in their 80s and two in their 90s. That brings the total number of local coronavirus-related deaths to 65, the county reported.
Meanwhile, local hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have remained high after top health leaders warned of “dire consequences” due to limited capacity.
A total of 38 people were in local hospitals with coronavirus on Tuesday. Of those, eight were in intensive care units.
A total of 9,061 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since mid-March, the county said.
Of those COVID-19 cases, 2,050 were active Tuesday, marking a record high for active cases.
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 effect Dec. 6.
What is ICU bed availability in Southern California and SLO County?
According to the state, 22 out of 53 of San Luis Obispo County ICU beds were available as of Monday.
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. The stay-at-home order will remain in place for at least three weeks.
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 remained at 0%, health department data showed.
Under the order, 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.
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What tier is SLO County in?
Tuesday marked the seventh consecutive week San Luis Obispo County was considered “widespread,” with metrics worsening across the board.
For the past six weeks, the county’s case rate was what categorized in the purple tier. However, as of Tuesday, both health equity and positivity rate were above the state’s red tier requirements as well.
The county’s adjusted average increased once again, changing from 20.4 to 28.2 new cases per day per 100,000 people.
The unadjusted case rate shot up from 27.4 to 38.7 new cases per day per 100,000.
The state did not release new data on the number of COIVD-19 tests conducted per day on 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 reached purple tier heights for the first time since the county began releasing positivity rate rate. As of Tuesday, the county had a 8.9% positvity rate, up from last week’s 6.5%.
The latest health equity metric released Dec. 22 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 saw an alarming increase from 6% to 11.8%.
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:
- Paso Robles: 55
- San Luis Obispo: 33
- Arroyo Grande: 30
- Atascadero: 20
- Nipomo: 19
- California Men’s Colony: 19
- Oceano: 13
- Grover Beach: 13
- Morro Bay: 10
- Pismo Beach: 8
- Los Osos: 4
- Templeton: 3
- Santa Margarita: 3
- San Miguel: 3
- Cambria: 3
- Cayucos: 2
- Shandon: 2
- Atascadero State Hospital: 2
The locations of 13 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 43 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 625 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates, with no increase Tuesday.
Similarly, the county’s data for ASH does not match that of the DSS.
According to the DSS, ASH had a total of 94 coronavirus-positive patients as of Tuesday, with an increase of four since Monday.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 888 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 Monday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 2,050
- Recovered cases: 6,930
- People recovering at home: 2,012
- People receiving hospital care: 38
- People in intensive care units: 8
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 65
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 22, 2020 at 2:03 PM.
