SLO County falls behind in reporting new coronavirus cases

December 30, 2020

During the long holiday weekend, San Luis Obispo County employees fell behind in logging positive coronavirus cases. While the county reported 9,602 confirmed cases on Tuesday, the state reported 10,260.

Testing labs forward positive coronavirus results to the state, which forwards the cases on to counties to verify residency and do contact tracing. But with the increase in cases, and the state’s rapid processing of information, county employees have fallen behind.

“Ensuring that we are accurately tracking cases is paramount to our response to the virus and slowing the spread,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, SLO County health officer. “Don’t wait for the data to update. Protect yourself and your community: wear a mask, don’t gather, stay home if you are sick, and get tested.”

While the county provides detailed information on the locations and numbers of people who have recovered, the California Department of Public Health provides more accurate case counts.

In addition, Worldometer provides accurate daily counts that mirror the state while providing accurate numbers of new deaths and active cases.

On Tuesday, the state reported four people died from the virus in SLO County.

Of the 10,260 confirmed coronavirus cases in SLO County, 7,495 individuals have recovered, and 74 have died. Of those still suffering from the virus, there are 59 people in the hospital — 12 in the intensive care unit, and 2,765 recuperating at home.