6 more SLO County residents die from COVID-19 — across a wide age range
San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday reported six additional deaths due to COVID-19, even as the number of new cases declined slightly.
The latest deaths involved three people who were age 85 or older, one person age 65 to 84, one person age 50 to 64 and one person age 30 to 49, the county Public Health Department reported. A total of 358 local residents have died from COVID-19 since March 2020.
Public Health reported 118 new daily COVID-19 cases during the four-day period between Friday and Tuesday. The county’s 14-day average number of new cases remained at 34 — the same number Public Health reported on Friday.
The two-week case average has now been in the 30s for a full week. This marks the first time the average has consistently been that low since July, when the Delta variant was just beginning to cause cases to climb.
Likewise, the number of active cases has fallen to 239, the lowest number since Public Health reported 198 cases on July 22.
Hospitalizations have also eased a bit during the past four days. There are currently 13 local residents receiving inpatient care, including three in the intensive care unit. On Friday, there were 20 local COVID-19 patients in the hospital, with five in area ICUs.
“We mourn the loss of more members of our community to COVID-19, and we remain in an unstable period with this disease as we approach the winter holidays,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health officer. “Vaccines are without a doubt our single most effective tool to mitigate the threat of COVID-19. If you are due for a first dose, second dose or booster shot, you will benefit from the protection they provide as we head into the holiday season and winter.”
New COVID-19 case breakdown
In total, 29,957 San Luis Obispo County residents have tested positive for coronavirus since March 2020.
Here’s how local coronavirus case numbers from the past four days break down day by day:
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 Nov. 12 released data showing that unvaccinated people account for 77% of COVID-19 cases, 82% of hospitalizations and 72% of deaths since June 15.
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
North County
Paso Robles: 20
Atascadero: 9
Santa Margarita: 3
San Miguel: 2
Templeton: 2
South County
Arroyo Grande: 12
Grover Beach: 15
Nipomo: 13
Oceano: 5
Pismo Beach: 4
SLO and North Coast
San Luis Obispo: 28
Cal Poly (campus residents): 2
Los Osos: 2
Morro Bay: 1
The locations of 17 cases were listed as “other.” A total of 168 cases remained under investigation.
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
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 located at 2191 Johnson Ave., the Grover Beach clinic is located at 286 South 16th St. and the Paso Robles clinic is located at 800 Pine St.
For more information, visit RecoverSLO.org/en/when-and-where-can-you-get-vaccinated.aspx.
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 2:29 PM.