COVID hospitalizations rise a bit in SLO County as new cases level off
The number of San Luis Obispo County residents hospitalized for COVID-19 has ticked back up a bit after falling to its lowest level in more than two months last week.
As of Tuesday, 16 people were receiving treatment in area hospitals, according to the Public Health Department, including four in intensive care. On Thursday, those numbers stood at 10 and two respectively.
No new deaths were reported Tuesday after four were added on Friday, which brought the pandemic total for SLO County to 339.
While hospitalizations remain an area of concern, new cases continue to ease.
A total of 135 new infections were reported over the last four days ending Tuesday, and the number of active cases fell to 388, the first time that figure has been below 400 since July 30.
That is a decline of nearly 80% from the Delta variant peak of 1,873 active cases at the end of August.
The trend line for new cases seems to have leveled off, with the 14-day average hovering in the high 30s and low 40s for the last two weeks.
That’s a notable improvement from the worst of the summer but still well above the pre-Delta outbreak levels when the new-case average dropped to single digits for much of the two months from May to July.
And it comes with colder winter months and holiday celebrations just around the corner, a combination of factors that, along with no vaccine, led to the worst spike of the pandemic last year.
Here’s how local coronavirus case numbers from the past four break down day by day:
In total, 29,184 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March 2020.
The county Public Health Department is not providing information about how many newly reported individual cases, hospitalizations and deaths involve vaccinated and unvaccinated people due to resource limitations and privacy concerns.
Instead, Public Health is releasing weekly data showing the percentages of unvaccinated people who’ve contracted COVID-19, received hospital treatment for the virus or died from it since June 15.
The agency on Oct. 15 released data showing that unvaccinated people account for 78.3% COVID-19 cases, 84.3% of hospitalizations and 78.9% of deaths since June 15.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added this week in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
North County
Paso Robles: 18
Atascadero: 13
Templeton: 5
San Miguel: 2
Creston: 1
Shandon: 1
South County
Arroyo Grande: 15
Nipomo: 11
Oceano: 4
Pismo Beach: 3
Grover Beach: 2
SLO and North Coast
San Luis Obispo: 15
Los Osos: 9
Morro Bay: 2
Cambria: 2
The locations of 15 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 162 cases remained under investigation.
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: 388
- Recovered cases: 28,446
- People recovering at home: 372
- People receiving hospital care: 16
- Total people in intensive care units: 4
People in intensive care units out of the county: 0
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 339
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 or booster appointment
Free coronavirus testing is available at clinics in San Luis Obispo, Grover Beach, Paso Robles and Morro Bay. To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing or call 888-634-1123 to register by phone.
To make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, visit MyTurn.ca.gov or call 833-422-4255. The county Public Health Department is also administering vaccines and boosters on a walk-in basis at clinics in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Grover Beach. To find shots at pharmacies near you, visit Vaccines.gov.
The clinics are open Monday and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m. for lunch), and Saturdays for vaccines only from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The San Luis Obispo clinic is 2191 Johnson Ave. The Grover Beach clinic is at 286 South 16th Street, Bldg. A. And the Paso Robles clinic is at 723 Walnut Drive.
For more information, visit RecoverSLO.org/en/when-and-where-can-you-get-vaccinated.aspx.
This story was originally published October 26, 2021 at 1:39 PM.
