San Luis Obispo County now has 6 confirmed coronavirus cases

Another three people have tested positive for coronavirus in San Luis Obispo County.

According to San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Penny Borenstein, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in SLO County “doubled overnight” from Monday to Tuesday.

Two of the new cases were in North County, Borenstein said, while the third is on the coast.

Borenstein said these do not appear to have been cases of community transmission. One of the patients — “a younger individual,” Borenstein said — was traveling overseas in an area with a high rate of spread of the virus.

“We absolutely anticipate that our numbers will go up at a rapid rate,” she said.

The first confirmed case in SLO County was for a person over the age of 65 residing in North County. The second and third were residents in the South County, one under the age of 60, the other’s age unknown.

Borenstein added that given additional guidance from the state, the Public Health Department is advising that all restaurants with dine-in services stop those services immediately. This does not apply to restaurants providing drive-through, pickup or delivery services, she said.

To date, the department has tested roughly 198 local samples for COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, Public Health is no longer able to test outpatient samples given the influx of tests conducted in the past few days, and is instead encouraging physicians to send samples to a number of private laboratories across the United States to test for COVID-19, Borenstein said. The department is hoping for a new shipment of testing components in the coming days, which will allow it to continue testing in-hospital patients.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to the virus.

Health officials urge those who exhibit these symptoms to stay home, avoid contact with others, and call their health care provider or urgent care clinic before seeking medical care to receive safe arrival instructions, if directed to do so. Go to the emergency room only if you are experiencing a medical emergency.

Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations or call the Public Health information line at 805-788-2903.

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 3:21 PM.