SLO County Health officials report COVID-19 death, increase in cases
253 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in San Luis Obispo County in the past week
–The County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department has reported that a SLO County resident in their seventies has passed away due to COVID-19 and 253 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in San Luis Obispo County in the past week. With this death, the county reports that 265 SLO County residents have succumbed to COVID-19. Five SLO County residents are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, including one in the ICU.
“It is heartbreaking to report that this pandemic has taken yet another life in our community and I extend my sincere condolences to their family, friends, and loved ones,” said Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein. “I am concerned about the significant increase in cases we are seeing locally and ask everyone in our community to please do your part to stop this surge.”
The public health department is working as quickly as possible to contact all active cases and alert their close contacts, but they say the increase in cases has stretched resources and contact tracers are not able to call every case immediately. If you test positive for Covid-19, don’t wait for a contact tracer to call: self-isolate for at least 10 days and notify your close contacts. If you have been in close contact (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more) with someone who has tested positive and you are not fully vaccinated, self-quarantine for at least 10 days. If you are fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms, the public health department says that you do not need to quarantine following close contact as long as you are asymptomatic.
The public health department is currently responding to eight outbreaks of COVID-19 countywide, including outbreaks in long-term care facilities and sports teams.
Five additional cases of the highly-transmissible Delta variant have been identified in SLO County in the past week. As only a small percent of COVID-19 cases are sequenced to determine their strain, officials say the actual number of Delta variant cases could be considerably higher.
“This surge in cases shows just how transmissible and dangerous this new strain of virus is,” said Dr. Borenstein. “If we don’t work together to turn this around, we risk losing more of our loved ones here in SLO County. Please: protect yourself and your family with the vaccine.”
To get the COVID-19 vaccine at a Public Health clinic, visit myturn.ca.gov or call (833) 422-4255. To find other local vaccine providers, visit myturn.ca.gov or VaccineFinder.org.
To view detailed statistics, click here.
For updates on COVID-19 in SLO County, visit ReadySLO.org or call the recorded public health information line at (805) 788-2903. Phone assistance is available at (805) 781-5500 Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist with questions related to COVID-19. For more information on COVID-19 vaccine and to make an appointment, visit www.RecoverSLO.org/Vaccine.
