SLO County reports only 68 new COVID cases over Christmas holiday — but also 3 deaths
San Luis Obispo County reported only 68 new coronavirus cases over the Christmas holiday, according to data from the Public Health Department, but the real number of cases could be much larger.
According to Public Health, 11 new cases were reported Christmas Day, 28 Saturday, 22 on Sunday and only seven on Monday.
It’s the first time since Nov. 2 that the county has reported new daily cases in the single digits.
This brings the total number of San Luis Obispo County residents who have tested positive for coronavirus since mid-March to 9,539, the county said.
Of those, 2,075 cases were considered active as of Monday.
The lower-than-usual numbers may not tell the entire story, however.
The number of new local cases reported by the state is substantially higher: According to the California Department of Public Health, a total of 650 potential new cases of coronavirus arose in SLO County over the weekend.
This would bring the total number of local cases since March to 10,154, according to the state’s data.
The discrepancy between the county’s low numbers and the state’s higher tally is due to a number of factors, including a lag in reporting due to the holiday and a change in the way the state reports new cases.
According to SLO County spokeswoman Michelle Shoresman, the state changed how it relays information about new cases to counties last week, and the County Public Health Department is adjusting to the new method.
Confusion over where cases originate and which county they should be counted in can also contribute to discrepancies, she said.
As of Monday, the county had so far only been able to confirm 68 of the reported cases, she said.
“Essentially, the cases being reported by the state have yet to be confirmed by the SLO County Public Health Team,” she wrote in an email to The Tribune. “They are diligently working on verifying and confirming the true county residence of each case and then reporting them on our website.”
This means that over the next days and weeks, as the county confirms more cases, the local numbers will begin to more closely reflect the state’s numbers, she said.
Meanwhile the death toll has continued to climb.
On Monday, the county Public Health Department reported three additional deaths due to COVID-19 — all involving people between the ages of 70 and 100.
Local hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have remained high after top health leaders warned of “dire consequences” due to limited capacity.
As of Monday, 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 order was expected to be lifted Monday after the allotted three weeks had passed, but Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference Monday that state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly will provide updated ICU projections Tuesday that would guide the timeline for ending the stay-at-home order in each region.
According to The Sacramento Bee, “extensions for Southern California and San Joaquin Valley are essentially guaranteed.”
The county returned to the purple tier on Nov. 16.
What is ICU bed availability in Southern California and SLO County?
According to the state, 20 of San Luis Obispo County’s 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 the stay-at-home order.
As of Monday, ICU availability in the Southern California region remained at 0%, health department data showed.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added over the weekend in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
Atascadero State Hospital: 30
- San Luis Obispo: 16
Paso Robles: 15
Atascadero: 8
Arroyo Grande: 7
Grover Beach: 5
Los Osos: 2
Nipomo: 2
Oceano: 2
- San Miguel: 2
Templeton: 2
Avila Beach: 1
Morro Bay: 1
Pismo Beach: 1
Santa Margarita: 1
The locations of 12 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 36 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 837 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates Monday.
Similarly, the county’s data for ASH does not match that of the DSS.
According to the DSS, ASH had a total of 96 coronavirus-positive patients as of Thursday (the DSS has not yet updated its numbers as of Monday afternoon).
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 756 as of Monday.
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 ,075
- Recovered cases: 7,380
- People recovering at home: 2,016
- People receiving hospital care: 59
- People in intensive care units: 12
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 70
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 28, 2020 at 1:50 PM.
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