COVID-19 Update: Over 500 New Cases Added In Last Seven Days

Average cases at highest since February

– San Luis Obispo County has added more than 500 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 7 days, according to data from the San Luis Obispo County Health Department.

Locally, all of the cases sequenced over the past week were of the highly contagious Delta variant, according to the public health department. This finding is consistent with statewide data showing that over 90% of all strains identified were Delta as of July. Because this variant spreads more easily, quickly infecting more people, officials say it results in more people becoming seriously ill.

As COVID-19 cases increase dramatically and the highly contagious Delta variant takes hold locally, the public health department strongly recommends that everyone, regardless of their vaccination status, wear a mask indoors in their homes. public places.

“The Delta variant is spreading rapidly in our community and we need all the tools we have to stop it,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, San Luis Obispo County Health Officer. “While vaccines remain our best tool against COVID-19, masking in crowded indoor and outdoor environments will help us curb the spread of this latest wave of infection. “

Last week, the CDC again issued a recommendation that all people in or near each other wear masks, regardless of their immunization status. They recently published a study that found no significant difference in the viral load present in breakthrough infections occurring in fully vaccinated people and other cases, suggesting that the viral load of vaccinated and unvaccinated people infected with the coronavirus is similar, according to a July 30. story by NPR. The county health department did not return questions regarding the transmissibility of the Delta variant among those vaccinated.

Following the recent CDC recommendation, the public health department is offering Pfizer and Moderna appointments for the third dose for people with certain conditions that compromise the immune system. New data shows that a third dose of mRNA vaccines helps increase the vaccine’s effectiveness for people with these conditions.

To view more detailed COVID-19 data for San Luis Obispo County, click here.

For updates on COVID-19 in SLO County, visit ReadySLO.org or call the registered public health information line at (805) 788-2903. Telephone support is available at (805) 781-5500 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit www.RecoverSLO.org/Vaccine.

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