SLO County tops 100 coronavirus deaths with record number of patients in ICUs
San Luis Obispo County added 294 new coronavirus cases and six deaths due to COVID-19 on Friday, hitting a grim benchmark in terms of local deaths, according to data from the county Public Health Department.
Locally, 101 people have died due to the virus.
Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer, reported on Wednesday that the coronavirus is now the No. 1 cause of death in San Luis Obispo County.
“This virus has claimed more than 100 local lives,” Borenstein said in a news release on Friday. “Those are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, children and grandparents who were not ready to die and whose deaths were, in fact, preventable.”
In total, 12,891 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March 2020.
As of Friday, San Luis Obispo County remains 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 state renewed the order for the region on Dec. 29, 2020, because intensive care unit capacity had not improved during the three weeks prior, Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary, said at a news conference.
What is ICU bed availability in Southern California and SLO County?
According to the state, 12 of San Luis Obispo County’s intensive care unit beds were available as of Thursday, the most recent update.
A total of 40 patients were in hospital due to COVID-19, with 14 of them in intensive care units. That’s the largest number of coronavirus patients who’ve ever required ICU care, according to the county.
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 Friday, 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 on Friday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
San Luis Obispo: 54
Paso Robles: 50
Nipomo: 27
Arroyo Grande: 21
Oceano: 16
Templeton: 14
Grover Beach: 13
Los Osos: 12
California Men’s Colony: 10
Morro Bay: 9
Pismo Beach: 9
Atascadero State Hospital: 5
Cambria: 4
San Miguel: 2
Shell Beach: 2
Shandon: 2
Creston: 2
Avila Beach: 1
Shell Beach: 2
Cayucos: 1
San Simeon: 1
The locations of eight cases were listed as “other.” A total of 60 cases remained 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.
CDCR had recorded 1,686 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates as of Friday, with 872 active cases in custody, 865 of those testing positive in the last 14 days.
Two inmates have died due to COVID-19.
The prison currently has the highest number of active cases among CDCR facilities, just ahead of the Correctional Training Facility, which reported 439 active cases.
DHS reported Friday that 165 patients have tested positive at Atascadero State Hospital since mid-May. The agency reports 28 of those patients have tested positive within the last 14 days. The facility reports no patient hospitalizations or deaths.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 939 as of Thursday, the most recent update.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
Here’s a look at San Luis Obispo County’s cases on Friday, according to the county Public Health Department.
- Active cases: 3,112
- Recovered cases: 9,652
- People recovering at home: 3,072
- People receiving hospital care: 40
- People in intensive care units: 14
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 101
Here are the total number of COVID-19 cases by community.
- Paso Robles: 2,701
- San Luis Obispo: 2,519
- Nipomo: 905
- Arroyo Grande: 962
- Grover Beach: 553
- Templeton: 395
- Oceano: 445
- San Miguel: 343
- Morro Bay: 261
- Los Osos: 295
- Pismo Beach: 201
- Atascadero State Hospital: 154
- Santa Margarita: 93
- Avila Beach: 22
- Shandon: 107
- Shell Beach: 12
- Creston: 59
- Cambria: 92
- Cayucos: 48
- San Simeon: 10
- Santa Margarita: 93
- Cal Poly (campus residents): 256
- California Men’s Colony: 1,214
The county also breaks down local coronavirus cases by race and ethnicity.
- White: 4,709
- Hispanic and Latino: 4,476
- Other and under investigation: 3,167
- Asian and Pacific Islander: 262
- Black or African American: 131
- Multiracial: 117
- American Indian or Alaska Native: 29
For a detailed look at local coronavirus cases by age, occupation and more, visit ReadySLO.org.
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. To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 1:56 PM.
