SLO County adds 66 coronavirus cases as outbreak on Cal Poly campus grows
San Luis Obispo County added more than 60 coronavirus cases on Friday, with a Cal Poly COVID-19 outbreak continuing to drive a spike that may force some businesses to close indoor operations under California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
The county added 66 new coronavirus cases between Thursday and Friday, according to ReadySLO.org. That brings the total number of county residents who have tested positive for the virus since March to 5,038.
Within the last seven-day period, a mass of cases among young adults erupted in San Luis Obispo and a total of 476 people have tested positive locally for COVID-19.
Dr. Penny Borenstein, county public health officer has said coronavirus spread among members of the Cal Poly community has contributed significantly to the recent spike in the county’s cases.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department, many of the county’s active coronavirus cases involve Cal Poly students living off campus in San Luis Obispo “who are gathering without proper safety precautions.”
What tier is SLO County in?
As of Tuesday, San Luis Obispo County continues to have “substantial” coronavirus spread, according to the California State Department of Public Health.
San Luis Obispo County’s positivity rate was at 3.0% as of the latest data, representing a 1.7 percentage increase from the week prior.
The county had an adjusted average of 7.2 new cases per 100,000 people per day, which is in the purple tier level, with an unadjusted case rate of 10.2, according to state data. Both metrics were more than 3 percentage points higher than the week prior.
And the health equity metric has increased to 4.8% rate for people who live in the 12 census tracts in San Luis Obispo County ranked in the lowest quarter of California’s Health Place Index. That is in the moderate tier’s range.
According to county public information officer Michelle Shoresman, “The state’s (coronavirus restriction) blueprint allows for some flexing in numbers.”
“Before we moved into the red tier, we had to meet red tier metrics for two weeks before the move could actually occur. The same holds true now,” Shoresman wrote in an email Tuesday. “As of today, we meet the purple tier metrics, but we do not yet actually move to the purple tier. If we meet those purple metrics for two weeks, then we will officially move back to purple.”
New COVID-19 cases by city
Here is where new COVID-19 cases were added on Friday in San Luis Obispo County, according to ReadySLO.org:
San Luis Obispo: 2
Paso Robles: 7
Cal Poly (on-campus students): 40
Atascadero: 5
Arroyo Grande: 3
Santa Margarita: 1
Los Osos: 2
Oceano: 2
Pismo Beach: 1
Cambria: 1
San Simeon: 1
Total coronavirus cases by city are:
- Paso Robles: 1,223
San Luis Obispo: 1,098
- Atascadero: 457
Nipomo: 381
- California Men’s Colony: 294
- Arroyo Grande: 259
Cal Poly (on campus): 189
- Grover Beach: 177
San Miguel: 188
Oceano: 149
- Templeton: 153
- Morro Bay: 77
Pismo Beach: 71
- Los Osos: 68
- Shandon: 58
- Cambria: 37
- Santa Margarita: 38
- Creston: 28
- Cayucos: 19
- Avila Beach: 11
- San Simeon: 7
At Atascadero State Hospital, 21 patients and 14 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 14 days, according to the California Department of State Hospitals, which oversees ASH.
A total of 107 on-campus Cal Poly students were in isolation due to coronavirus as of Friday, with an additional 1,085 students in quarantine in place. The San Luis Obispo university has reported a total of 578 COVID-19 cases to date.
For a detailed look at local coronavirus cases by age, occupation and more, visit ReadySLO.org.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
Here’s a look at San Luis Obispo County’s cases on Friday, according to the county Public Health Department:
- Active cases: 587
- Recovered cases: 4,416
- People recovering at home: 582
- People receiving hospital care: 5
- People in intensive care units: 2
- Deaths due to COVID-19: 33 (including two California Men’s Colony inmates)
Here is a look at the racial breakdown of local coronavirus cases:
Hispanic and Latino: 2,134
White: 1,852
Other and under investigation: 805
Black or African American: 103
Asian and Pacific Islander: 70
Multiracial: 65
American Indian or Alaska Native: 8
Where to get a COVID-19 test
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:
- Morro Bay: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Veterans Memorial Building, 209 Surf St.
- Paso Robles: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Frontier Pavilion, Paso Robles Event Center, 2198 Riverside Ave.
- San Luis Obispo: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Veterans Memorial Hall, 801 Grand Ave.
In addition, COVID-19 testing is available through private healthcare providers, urgent care centers and the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Lab.
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations. ReadySLO.org lists more than a dozen urgent care centers that offer COVID-19 testing.
To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
How to report a COVID-19 code violation
To report violations of coronavirus-related orders meant to limit the spread of COVID-19, call the San Luis Obispo County COVID Enforcement hotline at 805-788-2222 or email covid-compliance@co.slo.ca.us.
