San Luis Obispo County COVID-19 cases decrease, deaths not yet slowed

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – While the number of new COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County has slowed and eased pressure off of the local health care system, the number of COVID-19-related deaths have not yet began to slow, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department said on Wednesday.

Over the past week, the department has reported 17 additional coronavirus-related deaths, according to Public Health spokeswoman Michelle Shoresman.

“SLO County is unfortunately still feeling the painful impact of this winter’s surge,” said county Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein.

“Today’s news mirrors what we are seeing across the country, that deaths increase several weeks after a peak in cases."

The people who died ranged in age from 40s to 90s, according to the department.

There have been 302 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the past week, bringing the 14-day average to 46 – down from 339 just a month ago, according to Shoresman.

Additionally, there were 4,664 cumulative cases reported in the month of February, compared to nearly 14,700 cumulative cases reported in January.

There were 12 residents hospitalized for severe COVID-19 on Wednesday.