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KCBX News Update: COVID-19 cases spike in SLO County, and Caltrans crews work to repair Highway 1

Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

COVID-19 cases spike in SLO County with more than 2,000 cases in one week

COVID-19 cases are spiking in San Luis Obispo County, with more than 2,000 cases reported in just one week.

The SLO County Public Health Department reported today that 2,021 new cases of the virus have been confirmed since last Tuesday.

30 people are currently hospitalized with severe symptoms, and eight of them are in the ICU.

The 14-day daily average of cases in the county now stands at 191. That’s the highest it’s been since January 2021, according to county officials.

In a press release, Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said, “COVID-19 is clearly surging in San Luis Obispo County. This is the fastest, steepest increase we have seen since the beginning of this pandemic, even compared to our biggest surge last January.”

Borenstein added that with the spread of at-home tests, these numbers do not represent the total number of cases in the county. She urged those who test positive through an at-home test to notify Public Health so that they can be counted and receive additional support.

County residents who test positive at home can report their results at slopublichealth.org/testing.

Health officials also recommend that people who have traveled or been exposed to someone with COVID-19 get tested three to five days after the exposure or travel.

To schedule a vaccine appointment, visit myturn.ca.gov.

Crews work to clean up December rockslide on Highway 1

Drivers headed along Highway 1 near Ragged Point will experience delays until a rockslide that happened on Dec. 26 is cleared up.

Caltrans crews are working on the site and holding traffic controls from 7a.m. to 5p.m. which they say will cause about one-hour delays.

Lane closures will be in place from south of Ragged Point up to the line between San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties.

Caltrans says the highway will be open at night and on weekends.

Benjamin Purper was News Director of KCBX from May of 2021 to September of 2023. He came from California’s Inland Empire, where he spent three years as a reporter and Morning Edition host at KVCR in San Bernardino. Dozens of his stories have aired on KQED’s California Report, and his work has broadcast on NPR's news magazines, as well. In addition to radio, Ben has worked as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer.
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