San Luis Obispo County has reported five new COVID-19 deaths and 55 more residents are now in the hospital.
Tenet Emergency Physician Adam Forrest said, “I do think the worst is behind us, but this should serve as a wake-up call to all of us that things could spiral out of control if we don’t get more people vaccinated.”
COVID cases continue to rise in San Luis Obispo County, especially for people ages 30 and older.
San Luis Obispo County EMS Director Vince Pierucci said, “We’re actually seeing an increase in hospitalizations for those that are testing positive are in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. That’s what we didn’t see earlier and with this new delta variant, we’re seeing younger people get sick and hospitalized.”
Doctors say the high hospitalization numbers are a result of patients who have yet to be vaccinated.
Pierucci said, “Current hospitalization numbers rival what we saw in our last winter surge and our December and January surge when our hospitals were at near capacity. Again, we’re now at near capacity.”
Forrest said, “People that are sick, requiring oxygen, requiring ventilation, they are for the most part not vaccinated.”
With the announcement by the FDA regarding the safety of the Pfizer vaccine, San Luis Obispo County Public Health urges residents to get the vaccine.
Pierucci said, “The FDA just lifted the EUA for the Pfizer vaccine, so they’re showing it’s safe and effective.
Forrest said, “It remains just as important as ever to protect yourself and your family and the members of our community.”
Pierucci said, “We have to get out there and we have to fix this, and we can address this by getting vaccinated.”
Of the 55 in the hospital with COVID-19, 16 people are in the ICU.
San Luis Obispo County has reported 460 new COVID cases since Friday.