SLO County has 1,783 COVID-19 cases — and nearly two-thirds came in July
Nearly two-thirds of all COVID-19 cases and all but one coronavirus-related death in San Luis Obispo County were confirmed in the past month.
Since March 14, 1,783 local residents have tested positive for the virus — with 1,172 COVID-19 , or 65.7%, of those cases occurring in July.
Eighty local coronavirus cases were confirmed in March, 104 cases in April and 86 in May.
In June, daily case counts began to increase, resulting in 341 residents testing positive for COVID-19 over the course of the month.
However, July’s local case count nearly doubles the number of cases from March through June combined.
Between July 1 and July 31, a total of 15,105 coronavirus tests were conducted at both county and private health labs. That is about 40% of the 37,936 total tests conducted in San Luis Obispo County.
The first coronavirus-related death was reported April 4, and for two months no other local residents had died as a result of the virus.
Thirteen county residents died from COVID-19 in July, with at least six of those deaths tied to Vineyard Hills Health Center, a skilled nursing facility in Templeton.
Why did SLO County have so many COVID-19 cases in July?
A combination of reopening business sectors, congregate facility outbreaks and people gathering have all led to an increase in San Luis Obispo County coronavirus cases.
Contact tracers have determined that 218 people have acquired the virus from person to person contact since July 1, while 52 cases were related to travel and 190 cases were acquired via community spread during that time period, according to ReadySLO.org.
Of the total local cases with known routes of transmission, 127 cases are travel related, 487 were contracted by person to person spread and 406 were acquired by community spread.
According to the county, the increased case count was, in part, to be expected.
“As the county has re-opened and community transmission has increased, it was expected case counts would increase in every business sector,” public health spokesperson Michelle Shoresman wrote in an email to The Tribune earlier in July.
Some business sectors, including retail and dining, were allowed to reopen beginning May 20 after being closed for months. Many more businesses, including hair salons, gyms and bars, were gradually given the OK to reopen
While the county has struggled to identify why some cities, such as Paso Robles and Nipomo, have been a hotbed for coronavirus cases, an increase in cases in the city of San Luis Obispo was attributed to younger residents attending bars while they were open.
Bars, indoor dining, and some business sectors, including gyms and hair salons, had to close their doors once again July 16 because San Luis Obispo County was in violation of the state’s reopening criteria for three consecutive days.
Once a county is on the state’s coronavirus watchlist for three consecutive days, certain business sectors must close and remain closed even if the county is removed from the watchlist, according to San Luis Obispo County.
To get off the watchlist, the county would need to have fewer than 280 new cases over a 14-day period.
In the last 14 days, San Luis Obispo County has added 625 cases.
In addition to reopening, the county has identified family and friend gatherings as a large factor in the increased spread of COVID-19.
Graduation celebrations, birthday parties and small- to medium-sized gatherings have played a large part in recent transmissions, according to the county.
In recent weeks, the county has once again asked residents to avoid gatherings as much as possible.
“Nobody wants to infect loved ones, but it’s happening in SLO County,” San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in a July 27 news release. “Staying in touch and celebrating life events is still important. But now is not the time to gather in person, especially if you are or someone you know is particularly vulnerable to serious COVID-19 illness.”
Another source of recent coronavirus cases has been congregate living facilities.
Vineyard Hills Health Center in Templeton, which is currently experiencing a coronavirus outbreak, has had more than 30 COVID-19 cases among residents and staff. At least six current and former residents of the skilling nursing facility have died due to COVID-19.
Other congregate living facilities, including assisted living facilities, and the San Luis Obispo County Jail have also had recent outbreaks.
Darren Smith, the CEO of Compass Health, which operates all seven skilled nursing facilities in the county, wrote in a July 18 email to The Tribune that it has become increasingly difficult to keep coronavirus out of facilities with vulnerable populations.
“It has become clear, based on our (community’s) lack of vigilance, all care providers are going to battle this virus for many months to come,” Smith wrote. “We are experiencing daily issues with staff coming to management with COVID positive contact concerns.”
Despite these factors, the route of transmission for 763 cases — about 42% of all local cases — remains under investigation, according to ReadySLO.org.
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This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
