Health department confirms new COVID-19 variant not found in SLO county
New variant found in California, not SLO County
–Last week, the State of California announced that another COVID-19 variant has been found in parts of the state. Orange County specimens were mistakenly reported by the state as coming from SLO County. This has since been corrected.
First identified in Denmark, the L452R variant is different than the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom, and experts are still working to understand whether the new variant is more contagious.
While it has not been identified yet in SLO County, the health department says that cases are still surging locally and ask that everyone continue to follow all public health precautions.
On Monday, 96 new cases were added, bringing the total number of cases in the county since the pandemic began to 16,957. 18 people are currently in the ICU, 14 of which are COVID patients. Active cases are at 1,908. The county is attributing 158 deaths to the virus locally.
To view detailed statistics, click here.
For more information, visit www.ReadySLO.org or call the recorded Public Health Information Line at (805) 788-2903. A staffed phone assistance center at (805) 543-2444 is available Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist with questions related to COVID-19.
