San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials say nearly all of the recent COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths reported in the county are among people who have not been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
According to data released by the County Public Health Department on Thursday, residents who are not fully vaccinated have represented 98.5% of cases, 97.5% of hospitalizations, and 99.2% of deaths since Jan. 1, 2021.
Health officials say just 161 of the county's 10,777 COVID-19 cases since January 1 have been in people who were fully vaccinated, and only nine of the 358 COVID-19 hospitalizations during that same time were in fully vaccinated residents.
County officials say one of the county's 132 deaths caused by COVID-19 in 2021 was a person who was fully vaccinated, but that person reportedly had additional serious health issues.
Health officials say the Delta variant is responsible, in part, for a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County. On Tuesday, SLO County Public Health officials reported 253 new cases of COVID-19 over seven days, nearly twice the number of new cases that were reported over the previous seven-day period.
At a press conference on Thursday, county officials encouraged community members to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"These statistics make it painfully clear that our residents who have not yet been protected by vaccines are facing the overwhelming burden of COVID-19 in SLO County," said Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer. "These numbers also provide hope in that they show just how effectively the vaccines are doing their job a real-world, local environment."
To schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment, visit the My Turn website.
Walk-in vaccinations are also available at County Public Health clinics in San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, and Grover Beach. Click here for times and locations, as well as details on mobile and pop-up vaccine events in SLO County.
For more information on the county's coronavirus response, visit readyslo.org.
