SLO County adds 53 new coronavirus cases, 8 deaths over weekend
San Luis Obispo County added 53 new coronavirus cases over the weekend and Monday, continuing a downward trend in the daily number of new local COVID-19 cases, according to data from the county Public Health Department.
The county reported 34 new cases on Saturday, 10 cases on Sunday and only nine cases on Monday.
Monday’s case count marks the first time the local number of new daily positive tests organically dropped to single digits since November.
There have been some more recent blips. On Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, the county reported one and zero new cases, respectively. The previous time the daily case county dropped so low was on Dec. 28, when only seven new cases were reported.
Those low numbers are likely anomalies.
Starting in late December through early January, the county struggled to adjust to a change in data delivery from the state that warped some of the county’s positive test numbers. In the weeks surrounding both of the December and January low points, the county conversely reported daily numbers in the several hundreds.
Monday’s numbers, however, come at the tail of a definite downward trend in local cases after they peaked in early January.
A request for comment from the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department about the latest numbers was not immediately returned Monday afternoon.
In total, 19,696 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March 2020.
On Monday, the county reported an additional eight deaths due to coronavirus, involving people ages 50 and up. Locally, 235 people have died due to the virus.
San Luis Obispo County remains in the most restrictive tier of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy as of Monday.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added between Saturday and Monday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
North County
Paso Robles: 11
Atascadero: 6
San Miguel: 3
Santa Margarita: 2
Templeton: 2
South County
Nipomo: 5
Grover Beach: 3
- Arroyo Grande: 2
Oceano: 2
Avila Beach: 1
Pismo Beach: 1
SLO and North Coast
San Luis Obispo: 13
California Men’s Colony: 3
Los Osos: 3
Cal Poly (campus residents): 1
The locations of eight COVID-19 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 42 cases remained under investigation.
Coronavirus 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 2,470 total coronavirus cases among CMC inmates as of Monday, with no active cases in custody. There have been no new cases in the past 14 days, according to the CDCR.
Ten inmates have died due to COVID-19.
DHS reported that 213 patients have tested positive at Atascadero State Hospital since May 2020 as of Friday, the most recent data available. The agency reported fewer than 11 of those patients had tested positive within the past 14 days.
ASH has reported at least one and fewer than 11 deaths among patients who tested positive for COVID-19. The facility had no hospitalized coronavirus patients as of Friday, and has not said how many were hospitalized in the past.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 1,550 as of Monday.
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: 19,696
- Recovered cases: 18,884
- People recovering at home: 543
- People receiving hospital care: 19
- Total people in intensive care units: 5
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 235
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 Monday, the county Public Health Department is administering coronavirus vaccines to health care workers, long-term care facility residents and employees, some education and childcare workers and people age 65 and up by appointment only.
To schedule an appointment, visit RecoverSLO.org or call 805-543-2444.
Appointment schedules will be announced on weekdays around 9 a.m. as appointments become available 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 March 1, 2021 at 1:36 PM.
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