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KCBX News Update: COVID-19 case counts reach new height in SLO County, and Caltrans will do bridge work in Los Alamos next week

Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

SLO County reports highest number of active COVID cases since beginning of pandemic 

The number of active COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County is the highest it’s ever been, according to County Public Health.

There are 3,573 current active cases right now, and that number does not include people who tested positive at home or are unable to access testing.

The county added 2,967 cases in the past week, and the 14-day daily average of cases has reached 342 – surpassing the previous peak of 331 in January of last year.

51 SLO County residents are hospitalized due to severe COVID illness, and six of them are in the intensive care unit.

Three more people in the county have died from the virus, bringing the total county death toll to 378.

The county said the surge in cases has also changed how it reports some data on their website, such as information on what occupations people who get sick with COVID hold, because “contact tracers are no longer able to investigate most cases.”

County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein in a press release tried to dispel the conception that Omicron is a mild variant by saying, “While we are extremely fortunate that some people have less severe illness with this variant, that is sadly not the case for many otherwise-healthy people who have succumbed to COVID-19.”

Omicron now accounts for about 90 percent of recently-sequenced cases in the county.

Caltrans to hold bridge reparation project on Highway 101 in Los Alamos 

There will be some Caltrans work in Los Alamos starting Thursday, Jan. 20.

Caltrans will be reconstructing the bridges on Highway 101 at the intersection with State Route 135 as part of a $10 million project.

State Route 135 will be closed in both directions between Bell and Main Street to San Antonio Boulevard from 8p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20 to 6a.m. Friday, Jan. 21.

A shuttle service will transport passengers near the Los Alamos Rancho Mobile Home Park and the Los Alamos Senior Center, while the 101 southbound on and off-ramps will stay open.

Caltrans said delays should not exceed 15 minutes.

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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