13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County now has 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
San Luis Obispo County emergency services director Wade Horton said six additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed as of Thursday.
The numbers have been steadily increasing since the county’s first confirmed case on Saturday, and have now landed into the double digits.
Public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said the increase in new cases is in line with what one would expect to see during an outbreak and that it will probably keep climbing over the coming days, even with the executive order to shelter at home that was set to go into effect Thursday at 5 p.m.
“We will see more cases,” she said. “We’ll be sitting here in another few weeks, and we’ll likely see cases in the three digits, no longer the two digits.”
The cases span across the county. Some of the patients are above 65, while others are younger with underlying health conditions.
The current geographic distribution of those cases is five in North County, five in South County and three on the coast, according to Horton.
Borenstein on Thursday said the county does not plan to release more specific information on the whereabouts of those people who have tested positive, to protect patients’ privacy and minimize community panic.
All 13 of the cases are recovering at home.
Borenstein said several appear to have fully recovered as of Thursday, and the county is exploring how often those individuals need to be tested, and when they could be declared clean and able to exit quarantine.
On Thursday, Borenstein added that people do not necessarily need to be worried about contact with people who have come in contact with someone with COVID-19.
“Contacts with contacts are not worrisome,” she said during a media briefing. “The reason I’m bringing this to attention is there is a lot of concern as we see more cases, a lot of people are going to know someone who has this disease.”
To date, the county has run 232 tests at its lab.
Meanwhile, Borenstein clarified the county’s shelter-at-home order, saying it isn’t intended to confine people their homes every hour of the day.
“Using the term shelter at home is to ask people to help slow the spread of infection and is an enhancement of social distancing,” Borenstein said. “It does not literally mean that people should not leave their homes for essential activities or fresh air and exercise.”
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 19, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
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