SLO County misses chance to move to orange reopening tier. Here’s why it’s still in red
San Luis Obispo County added 19 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday as the county’s case rate just barely missed the threshold that would allow a local move to the less restrictive orange tier.
San Luis Obispo County is now the only Central Coast county in the red tier of coronavirus restrictions under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy— meaning that COVID-19 spread is considered “substantial” — and it will remain so for at least two more weeks.
According to data from the county Public Health Department, a total of 20,991 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March 2020.
The county reported no new deaths Tuesday. Locally, 257 people have died due to the virus.
What tier is SLO County in?
San Luis Obispo County’s adjusted case rate kept the county from joining Santa Barbara County in entering the orange tier of COVID-19 restrictions.
San Luis Obispo County’s adjusted average was 6.0 new cases per day per 100,000 people, an increase from the 5.4 case rate reported last week. The county needs to maintain a case rate of 5.9 or lower for two consecutive weeks.
The county’s unadjusted case rate was 7.2 cases per day per 100,000 people, according to the state, up from the 7.0 unadjusted rate last week.
As of Tuesday, the county had a 2.4% positivity rate, up from the 2.1% previously reported last week, the first increase in that rate following three weeks of decline.
The latest health equity metric released Tuesday 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 Healthy Places Index at 4.2%.
How many people has SLO County vaccinated?
According to the California Department of Public Health, 25,670 San Luis Obispo County residents have received at least the first coronavirus vaccine in a two-part series as of Tuesday.
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department has distributed vaccines to 75,664 people — 49,994 of whom have received both their first and second doses, as of Tuesday.
Additional doses were administered by other vaccine providers in San Luis Obispo County, including Dignity Health, Tenet Heath Central Coast and CVS.
Vaccine information will be updated on a weekly basis, the county said.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added on Tuesday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
North County
Atascadero: 2
Paso Robles: 2
Shandon: 1
South County
- Arroyo Grande: 2
- Grover Beach: 3
Nipomo: 2
Pismo Beach: 1
SLO and North Coast
San Luis Obispo: 6
The locations of 11 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 19 cases remained under investigation.
Cal Poly’s documented total of coronavirus cases involving both on-campus and off-campus students was 1,808 as of Tuesday.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
Here’s a look at San Luis Obispo County’s cases on Tuesday, according to the county Public Health Department.
- Active cases: 205
- Recovered cases: 20,526
- People recovering at home: 201
- People receiving hospital care: 4
- Total people in intensive care units: 2
People in intensive care units out of the county: 2
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 257
Where to get a COVID-19 test and schedule a vaccine appointment
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 Tuesday, the county Public Health Department is administering coronavirus vaccines to everyone age 16 and up.
Those eligible to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can register online or by phone for San Luis Obispo County’s vaccine appointment lottery.
To register for the lottery, go to www.RecoverSLO.org/VaccineAppointments and complete the registration form. Those without internet access or who have difficulty with the online form can call 805-543-2444 or 805-781-4280 and an operator can help them.
To sign up for email alerts, visit EmergencySLO.org/en/newsletter.aspx.
In addition to San Luis Obispo County’s vaccine appointment lottery, appointments for coronavirus vaccines can be made through private health partners and some chain pharmacies including CVS and Vons.
