The adjusted COVID-19 case rate in San Luis Obispo County has dropped to 9.4, according to updated reopening metrics released Tuesday.
This meets state criteria to allow the resumption of outdoor sports. Last week, the state issued new guidelines saying that organized and recreational youth sports and adult recreational sports can be resumed from Feb. 26 in counties where COVID-19 case rates are lower than 14 cases for every 100,000 people.
Last Tuesday, SLO County’s adjusted case rate was 15.6. It has gone down every week since the regional California home residence order was lifted and the county has returned to the purple level.
County positivity rates also fell this week, with the overall positivity rate and the healthy place index (HPI) at orange levels (3.2% and 3.8% respectively). Another week like this and the county could move to a less restrictive level.
The county public health officer, Dra. Penny Borenstein previously stated that SLO County could go from the purple level to the red level if both positivity rates remain at the orange levels for two weeks. Otherwise, the county’s adjusted case rate must be less than 7.
Department of Public Health of the County of San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo County public health officials also reported 42 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the county’s total to 19,500 confirmed cases on Feb. 23.
The county also added an additional COVID-19-related death. To date, SLO County has recorded 221 deaths attributed to the virus.
Health officials say there are currently 22 people hospitalized. Another 596 are recovering at home and health officials say 18,642 people have recovered.
Nineteen of the 38 licensed ICU beds and county staff are currently occupied. Seven of them are taken by COVID-19 patients.
Breakdown of cases by location:
- Paso Robles – 3,859
- San Luis Obispo – 3,660
- California Men’s Colony (inmates): 2,377
- Atascadero – 1,817
- Nipomo – 1,467
- Rierol Gran – 1,375
- Grover Beach – 803
- Ocean – 669
- Templeton – 589
- Sant Miquel – 481
- The Bears – 446
- Morro Bay: 400
- Cal Poly (campus residents) – 341
- Pismo Beach – 309
- Atascadero State Hospital (patients) – 206
- Cambria – 174
- Shandon – 138
- Santa Margarida – 128
- Creston – 80
- Cayucos – 68
- Avila Beach – 27
- San Simeó – 21
- Bradley – 7
The locations of an additional 50 cases are being investigated and another eight are listed as “other,” which includes communities with fewer than five cases. The Department of Public Health does not identify these locations.
COVID-19 community test sites are currently open to the public in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, Grover Beach and Nipomo.
Appointments are available, but walk-ins are now accepted. Click here to make an appointment.
San Luis Obispo County currently vaccinates health care workers and residents age 65 and older. For information on making an appointment, click here.
For more information on the county’s COVID-19 response, visit readyslo.org.