County moves weekly COVID-19 briefing to every other week
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY – Thirteen counties are moving to a less restrictive tier, although local public health departments may implement policies that are more restrictive than the state. From Purple (widespread) to Red (substantial): Fresno, Glenn, Kings, Madera, and Yuba. From Red (substantial) to Orange (moderate): Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Los Angeles, Modoc, Orange, Santa Cruz, and Tuolumne.
No counties moved to a more restrictive tier.
Three counties remain in the Purple (widespread) tier, 36 in the Red (substantial) tier where San Luis Obispo County remains, 17 in the Orange (moderate) tier, and two are in the Yellow (minimal) tier.
Blueprint for a Safer Economy
All counties are under the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity. As always, local public health departments may implement policies that are more restrictive than the state.
Blueprint Summary as of Mar. 30
- 3 counties in the Purple (widespread) Tier
- 36 counties in the Red (substantial) Tier
- 17 counties in Orange (moderate) Tier
- 2 county in the Yellow (minimal) Tier
Blueprint tiers are updated weekly on Tuesdays. Find the status of activities in specific counties.
Statewide COVID-19 Data as of Mar. 31
- California has 3,568,426 confirmed cases to date. Numbers may not represent true day-over-day change as reporting of test results can be delayed.
- There were 1,962 newly recorded confirmed cases Tuesday.
- The 7-day positivity rate is 1.8 percent.
- There have been 53,786,487 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 127,906 during the prior 24-hour reporting period.
- There have been 57,936 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
- As of Mar. 31, providers have reported administering a total of 18,023,603 vaccine doses statewide. The CDC reports that 22,892,620 doses have been delivered to entities within the state. Numbers do not represent true day-to-day change as reporting may be delayed. For more vaccination data, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard
San Luis Obispo County as of Mar. 31
- 20,505 total cases since March 2020
- 30 new cases, including weekend numbers
- 255 active cases
- 4 cases in the hospital (1 in ICU)
- 19,990 recovered cases, at a 98 percent recovery rate
- 256 deaths 0.012 percent death rate (difference being the 255 active cases)
Vaccine Eligibility Update
With supply of vaccines expected to significantly increase in the upcoming weeks, the state is expanding vaccine eligibility to more Californians. Starting Apr. 1, individuals aged 50 and over will be eligible to make an appointment, and individuals 16 and over will be eligible to make an appointment to be vaccinated starting on Apr. 15. To sign up for a notification on eligibility for a vaccine, visit recoverslo.org.
On Mar. 31, San Luis Obispo County opened eligibility for those age 30 and older to sign up for the County’s COVID-19 vaccine registry. Read here.
Tracking Variants
Multiple variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been identified globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. These genetic mutations are expected, and some emerge and then disappear, while others persist or become common. Most variants do not have a meaningful impact. Public health becomes concerned about a variant when it affects COVID-19 transmission, severity, testing, treatment or vaccine effectiveness. Get more information on the variants CDPH is currently monitoring.
Health Care Workers
As of Mar. 29, local health departments have reported 102,220 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 444 deaths statewide.
Testing Turnaround Time
The testing turnaround time dashboard reports how long California patients are waiting for COVID-19 test results. During the week of Mar. 14 to Mar. 20, the average time patients waited for test results was one day. During this same time period, 83 percent of patients received test results in one day, and 97 percent received them within two days.
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
As of Mar. 22, there have been 413 cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) reported statewide. MIS-C is a rare inflammatory condition associated with COVID-19 that can damage multiple organ systems. MIS-C can require hospitalization and be life-threatening.
According to SLO County Public Health, there have been three known cases of MIS-C in SLO County residents over the past year.
SLO County Court System Workers, Jurors, Can Get COVID-19 Vaccine
On Friday, Mar. 26, San Luis Obispo County COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force opened eligibility of the vaccine to those serving in-person in the courts system, based on expanding vaccine supply and the risk of serious outcomes to this group.
All SLO County residents who are affiliated with and serve the court system – such as judges, attorneys, victim-witness advocates, bailiffs, and jurors – can now reserve an appointment to get their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, in addition to the previously announced eligible groups.
“Vaccination against COVID-19 will protect jurors, if and when they actually are seated in a jury,” said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer. “These vaccines are the most important tool for us to end this pandemic and if you can get vaccinated, please do so as quickly as possible. I am happy we are able to now able to offer this layer of protection to community members doing their civic duty in the courts.”
County health officials say that some people in this group may have already been vaccinated within the “emergency services” sector and through the Sheriff’s Office vaccine clinic. Jurors, however, are now included as an eligible group. Anyone who receives a jury summons can use that letter to register for a vaccine, even if they are not ultimately selected to serve on the jury.
Any community member who is eligible for vaccine is encouraged to register for a first-dose appointment as soon as possible. Earlier this week, the County expanded eligibility to community members age 50 and older. Other eligible groups include workers in Healthcare, Education and Childcare, Food & Agriculture, and Emergency Services, as well as anyone 16 or older with certain high-risk medical conditions or disabilities.
COVID-19 News Briefing Schedule Change
As announced during the Mar. 24 News Briefing, the County briefing on Wednesday, Mar. 31, was canceled. Going forward, the regularly scheduled briefings will occur every other Wednesday.
Updated SLO County COVID-19 Briefing Schedule:
• Wednesday, Apr. 7 at 3:15 p.m. – Briefings will resume every other Wednesday
• Wednesday, Apr. 21 at 3:15 p.m.
For more information, visit readyslo.org or recoverslo.org
