27 people have tested positive for coronavirus in SLO County

According to the Public Health Department’s ReadySLO.org website, 27 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Sunday morning.

Two of the latest confirmed cases are high school aged children, according to County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein.

Arroyo Grande High School sent a message to parents saying that a sophomore at their high school was one of the positive cases, according to KSBY. The email told parent their child may have been exposed and should monitor for coronaivirus symptoms.

Borenstein said she was unable to confirm where the children attend school. The two children were in the same household as a confirmed case who had traveled.

Seven cases are in the 65-years-and-older age group and the other 18 cases are in the 19-to-64 age range.

The latest geographic distribution of confirmed cases shows there are eight in the North County, 12 in the South County, six on the coast and one in the San Luis Obispo central area.

One patient is in the hospital and one is in ICU, however the rest are home. Two patients have reportedly recovered.

The county announced its first coronavirus case on Saturday, March 14. Since then, the number of cases has grown rapidly.

The Public Health Department has tested 275 people and 16 cases were confirmed by their lab. Private labs reported the other 11 confirmed cases.

On Thursday, Borenstein said cases may reach the triple digits in several weeks’ time.

Of the confirmed cases, 17 cases were travel related, five received the virus from person-to-person contact, two cases were community acquired and three have unknown routes of transmission, according to the ReadySLO.org

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 updated at 5:30 p.m. March 22.

This story was originally published March 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM.