First Omicron variant of COVID-19 reported in SLO County

December 17, 2021

By Karen Velie

San Luis Obispo County on Friday reported its first case of the omicron COVID-19 variant as the county’s coronavirus case rates remain at a moderate level.

The SLO County Health Department did not release information about the person’s location, age, gender or vaccination status in order to protect their identity. While Delta remains the predominant variant, county health officials are asking residents to remain vigilant.

“We are committed to providing our community members with timely information about the Omicron variant and will provide updates as events warrant,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, county health officer. “Until we know more about Omicron, I strongly encourage our community members to stay calm, remain vigilant, and use the tools and resources we have at our disposal to protect yourself, your families and our community.”

SLO County reported three new COVID-19 deaths on Friday. The deceased range in age from their 30s to their 70s. The number of SLO County residents in hospitals receiving treatment for the virus is unchanged with 15 currently hospitalized, four in intensive care.

During the past three days, 153 SLO County residents tested positive for the virus. San Luis Obispo leads with 25 new cases; followed by Atascadero, Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande with 21 each; and Nipomo with 12.

In SLO County, 31,192 people have tested positive for the virus and 370 have died.

There have been 5,067,329 positive cases, and 75,935 deaths in California.

More than 51,609,183 U.S. residents have tested positive for the virus, and 826,675 have died.

In addition, the number of people infected with the virus worldwide continues to increase: 273,958,147 cases with 5,360,416 dead.