Following a spike in August, new daily COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County have steadily decreased.
So far in October, there have been 920 new COVID-19 cases, compared to 2,500 cases in September and 3,543 cases in August, according to data from the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department.
Cases this month are still higher than the 163 cases in June and 698 cases in July.
The county’s decrease in case counts have corresponded with the decreases in case counts across the state, according to San Luis Obispo County Public Health Spokesperson Michelle Shoresman.
“However, our numbers HAVE come down more slowly than some other counties,” Shoresman wrote in an email to Mustang News.
As of Oct. 15, San Luis Obispo County was in the orange category, which refers to “substantial” community transmission of COVID-19. Shoresman said she is hopeful the county will retain that status.
Director of Public Health Penny Borenstein announced on Oct. 20, that San Luis Obispo County’s mask mandate will be lifted if hospitalizations and deaths remain low and transmission of COVID-19 in the county declines into the yellow, moderate category.
With a high vaccination rate among students — 95% — Shoresman said she hoped Cal Poly students would be less impacted by COVID-19 than they were during the previous school year.
“This has played out as we had hoped and as data regarding infection after vaccination, in general, would suggest,” Shoresman wrote.
Although making up for one of the highest categories in August and into September, those 18-29 years old account for the second largest age group with cases in recent weeks.