SLO County Jail reports 3 new COVID cases as staff works to stop spread
Three inmates at the San Luis Obispo County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past five days, officials confirmed Wednesday.
Jail staff is currently working with the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department to conduct a contact tracing investigation in each case, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla wrote in an email.
Inmates contracted the virus and the cases currently appear to be unrelated, Cipolla wrote.
“We do not know if these are COVID-19 Delta variant (cases),” Cipolla wrote. “We treat all cases as extremely contagious and in the same manner to contain transmission.”
The highly contagious Delta variant is considered a “variant of concern” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, and more severe disease resulting in increased hospitalizations or deaths.
The jail previously had one coronavirus case in June, Cipolla said.
As early 2020, all arrestees admitted to the County Jail are screened for fever and respiratory symptoms by a nurse as part of a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan, according to Cipolla.
“Those arrestees with symptoms are taken to the medical unit and isolated,” Cipolla wrote. “The jail continues to use quarantine housing and testing to identify inmates early after booking and prior to going into the general jail population.”
San Luis Obispo County reported 386 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week, the county Public Health Department confirmed Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, eight county residents were being treated at hospitals for COVID-19, including three in intensive care units, county health officials said in a news release.
According to the agency, two San Luis Obispo County residents recently died due to COVID-19 — one person in their 60s and one in their 80s.
That brings the local coronavirus-related death toll to 267.
“Vaccines in the U.S. remain effective against severe impacts of COVID-19, including the Delta variant,” public health officials noted in the release. “Data shows that since Jan. 1, 2021, residents who are not fully vaccinated have represented 98.5% of COVID-19 cases, 97.5% of hospitalizations and 99.2% of deaths in SLO County.”
Where to get a COVID-19 test and schedule a vaccine appointment
Free coronavirus testing is available at clinics in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing or call 888-634-1123 to register by phone.
The county Public Health Department is currently administering coronavirus vaccines to everyone age 12 and up.
Those eligible to receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can register online or by phone for California’s My Turn appointment system. The county Public Health Department is also administering vaccines on a walk-in basis at clinics in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles and Grover Beach.
To find appointments, visit MyTurn.ca.gov and complete the registration process. Those who need assistance registering for a vaccine can call 833-422-4255 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday.
To learn more about vaccines offered at the three clinics, or to find out about mobile and pop-up clinics near you, visit RecoverSLO.org/en/when-and-where-can-you-get-vaccinated.aspx. To sign up for email alerts, visit EmergencySLO.org/en/newsletter.aspx.
Residents can also find appointments for coronavirus vaccines through private health partners and some chain pharmacies, including CVS and Vons. To find shots at pharmacies near you, visit Vaccines.gov.
The SLO County Public Health Department is also offering gift cards for locals who get their vaccine, as well as a raffle for people who help friends and family members get coronavirus shots.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 12:18 PM.
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