More than 100 San Luis Obispo County residents have died due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, the County confirmed in a Jan. 8 press release.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 12, the county recorded 115 coronavirus-related deaths.
Referencing the milestone, County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein talked about the lives that have been lost in the community because of COVID-19.
“Those are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, children and grandparents who were not ready to die and whose deaths were, in fact, preventable,” Borenstein said in the press release.
According to the press release, COVID-19 cases are increasing in San Luis Obispo County with December being the highest record of active cases in SLO County with 4,806 cases.
December was also the deadliest month for COVID-19 as San Luis Obispo County reported 44 deaths from COVID-19, almost half of the total deaths since the start of the pandemic.
As of Tuesday, Jan. 12 there are 3,180 active cases in San Luis Obispo with 42 people in the hospital for COVID-19 and 11 people in intensive care.
San Luis Obispo and other parts of Southern California remain under a regional stay-at-home order, meaning places like salons and gyms are closed and restaurants can offer take-out only.
The stay-at-home order will end once Southern California as a region has more than 15% of ICU beds available.
“We all must take the same everyday precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19,” County Public Information Officer Michelle Shoresman said.
Some precautions that residents should continue to do is observe the county and state stay-at-home orders, keep more than 6-feet distance from others and avoid being in groups of people who are not in their household.