San Luis Obispo’s COVID-19 case count has increased alongside national cases.
San Luis Obispo has had 14,778 total COVID-19 cases, with 2,708 residents currently sick — indicating that 1% of all county residents have COVID-19, County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in her press briefing on Jan. 13.
Borenstein said this recent surge in cases has overwhelmed the contact tracing team, forcing them to text contacts instead of calling them.
As of Thursday, Jan. 14, ICU bed capacity is at 39% with 50 SLO county residents hospitalized (8 in the ICU). There have been 119 total deaths, with Borenstein noting, “20% of all the deaths from the beginning of this pandemic have occurred in the last seven days alone”.
COVID-19 is now the leading cause of death both nationwide and in San Luis Obispo County.
Total Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in SLO County
Cal Poly’s new testing procedures require students who live in university housing, work on campus, participate in research on campus, use any on-campus service, or live in the same household as any of the aforementioned to get a COVID-19 test twice per week.
Of the 34,410 tests conducted by the Ongoing Testing Program since July 8, 576 off-campus students tested positive for COVID-19, and 266 on-campus students tested positive. Since the start of winter quarter, there have been 124 positive student tests with 16 occurring after Jan. 10.
Cal Poly’s COVID-19 dashboard has shown inconsistent data, so the Cal Poly data may not be accurate. Mustang News is investigating the matter.
Total COVID-19 Case Breakdown
All cities have experienced exponential increases in cases since Nov. 18.
San Luis Obispo County is currently distributing the vaccine to “health care workers who provide direct, in-person care” according to a press briefing. Community members 75-years-old and older are also able to get the vaccine.
COVID-19 Cases by City
Paso Robles remains the city with the highest number of total cases (2,980), with San Luis Obispo not far behind (2,767) and quickly approaching. The California Men’s Colony reported 575 new cases this week (bringing the total to 1,779) now accounting for more than Atascadero (1,317) or Arroyo Grande (1,078).
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