SLO County adds 172 coronavirus cases, reports highest local death toll in single day
San Luis Obispo County added 172 new coronavirus cases on Thursday and reported the highest number of local COVID-19 deaths in a single day, according to data from the county Public Health Department.
On Thursday, the county reported an additional 11 deaths due to coronavirus, involving people ranging in age from 60 to 100. Locally, 151 people have died due to the virus.
In total, 16,228 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March 2020.
On Thursday morning, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department announced the schedule for coronavirus vaccine appointments for the following week. Within three hours the 5,100 first dose appointments were filled, according to the county.
As of Thursday, 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.
What is ICU bed availability in Southern California and SLO County?
According to the county, 58% of San Luis Obispo County’s intensive care unit beds were available as of Thursday.
A total of 57 patients were being treated at local hospitals due to COVID-19. Of those, nine were in intensive care units — including three in ICUs out of the county, 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 Thursday, 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 Thursday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
Paso Robles: 36
Atascadero: 25
Nipomo: 18
San Luis Obispo: 15
Oceano: 13
Arroyo Grande: 8
Grover Beach: 8
Templeton: 6
San Miguel: 8
Morro Bay: 4
Los Osos: 6
Pismo Beach: 4
Atascadero State Hospital: 1
Creston: 1
Cambria: 9
Cayucos: 2
San Simeon: 1
Santa Margarita: 2
California Men’s Colony: 3
The locations of nine cases were listed as “other.” A total of 86 cases remained under investigation.
Outbreaks at the California Men’s Colony state prison in San Luis Obispo 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 2,323 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates as of Thursday, with 754 active cases in custody — the most of any California prison facility — with 560 of those testing positive in the past 14 days.
Four inmates have died due to COVID-19.
DHS reported Thursday that 195 patients have tested positive at Atascadero State Hospital since May 2020. The agency reports 27 of those patients have tested positive within the past 14 days. The facility has not reported any deaths and has reported fewer than 11 hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 1,148 as of Thursday.
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: 2,229
- Recovered cases: 13,758
- People recovering at home: 2,242
- People receiving hospital care: 57
- Total people in intensive care units: 9
People in intensive care units out of the county: 3
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 151
For a detailed look at local coronavirus cases by age, occupation and more, visit ReadySLO.org.
Where to get a COVID-19 test and schedule a vaccine appointment
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.
As of Thursday, the county Public Health Department is administering coronavirus vaccines to people in Phase 1A and Phase 1B — healthcare workers, skilled nursing facility employees and people age 75 and older — by appointment only.
Chain pharmacies, including CVS, are vaccinating people who live and work in skilled nursing facilities.
To schedule an appointment visit RecoverSLO.org or call 805-543-2444.
First dose appointments for the week of Jan 25. to Jan. 29 have been filled up, according to the county. Appointment schedules for the following week will be released every Thursday on RecoverSLO.org and via county email alerts.
To sign up for email alerts visit EmergencySLO.org/en/newsletter.aspx.
This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 1:55 PM.
