SLO County now has 33 confirmed cases of coronavirus
The San Luis Obispo County Public Heath Department confirmed Monday that six new patients have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of local cases to 33.
“I want to remind folks that we do expect to see an increase in cases day-over-day, week-over-week and perhaps even month-over-month,” public health officer Penny Borenstein said during a media briefing Monday.
“We are hopeful in this community that the type of actions we have taken with the shelter-at-home order and the social distancing … will in fact turn the curve,” she added. “But we don’t know when that will be.”
Borenstein said she estimates it could be weeks before the number of local patients hits its peak.
The cases continue to be concentrated in the northern and southern regions of San Luis Obispo County: The latest geographic distribution of confirmed cases shows there are 12 in the North County, 12 in the South County, seven on the coast and two in the San Luis Obispo central area.
The virus has also begun to show up more in younger individuals: though the first reported cases were predominately in adults, three cases emerged this weekend in patients younger than 19.
On Sunday, the county Public Health Department confirmed two Arroyo Grande High School students — a 10th grade student and a 12th grade student — had tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Monday, another young person below the age of 19 has tested positive for the virus, according to information on the county’s ReadySLO.org website. Borenstein said she did not have further information on that patient.
Of the total cases, nine cases are in the 65-years-and-older age group, 21 cases are in the 19-to-64 age range and three involve people 18 or younger.
One patient is in the hospital and one is in ICU, the health department says, while the rest are home. Three patients have reportedly recovered.
There have been no local deaths from the virus that causes COVID-19, though Monterey County reported its first resident death Saturday. California now has at least 1,854 confirmed cases and 35 deaths, according to a survey of individual county health departments by the Sacramento Bee.
As of Monday afternoon, the Public Health Department has tested 288 people, and 16 cases were confirmed by their lab. Private labs reported the other 17 confirmed cases.
Of the confirmed cases, 19 cases were travel-related, six received the virus from person-to-person contact, three cases were community-acquired and five have unknown routes of transmission, according to the ReadySLO.org website.
San Luis Obispo County announced its first coronavirus case on March 14. Since then, the number of cases has grown rapidly.
On Thursday, Borenstein said cases may reach the triple digits in several weeks’ time.
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 23, 2020 at 1:52 PM.
