Coronavirus updates: Cal Poly students tests positive; number of SLO County cases grows
As most of San Luis Obispo County continues to stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak, the county’s Public Health Department is planning what it will do if the outbreak grows as expected.
Some of its top priorities? Identifying where it could house more ICU beds if all the hospitals are filled up and ways to get faster testing of potential patients.
Meanwhile, normal health needs remain: The department urged anyone who could give blood to do so, to help keep a healthy supply of blood in light of the decrease in business and school blood drives.
Here are your Tuesday San Luis Obispo County coronavirus updates:
Number of cases continues to go up
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department confirmed Tuesday that nine new patients have tested positive for coronavirus bringing the total number of local cases to 42.
Cal Poly student tests positive
A Cal Poly student has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the San Luis Obispo university’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
The Cal Poly student was tested out of the area after returning home, according to campus-wide email from University President Jeffrey Armstrong.
The student lives off-campus, and left the San Luis Obispo area on March 17, according to the email.
Faster testing
As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rises in San Luis Obispo County, the Public Health Department is looking for a way to accelerate testing.
One way could be to use a new test that can produce results on site in less than an hour, county public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said at a Monday news briefing.
The county’s current capacity is 50 tests per day.
Cal Poly could house surge cases
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is preparing for a surge in coronavirus cases, and one contingency plan calls for using the Cal Poly Recreation Center as an alternative care site.
While the county currently has 60 ICU beds and many more beds that could be switched to ICU beds in the event of a surge, Public Health has turned to Cal Poly in the event more capacity is needed.
In the event of a medical surge, the SLO Medical Reserve Corps, a group of trained volunteers, will staff the site. The Medical Reserve Corps is currently recruiting.
Blood donors needed
San Luis Obispo County officials urged residents to donate blood, as the coronavirus outbreak disrupts local hospitals’ typical supply chain.
Wade Horton, county Emergency Services director, said the county’s two primary sources of blood — business drives and college student donors — are no longer available, leaving leaving hospitals low on needed supplies.
Giving blood is exempt from the county’s shelter-at-home order, and there’s no known risk of contracting COVID-19 while donating.
What happens if you don’t stay at home?
San Luis Obispo County officials will begin enforcing the shelter-at-home order in the next few days, and businesses or individuals who refuse to comply with the emergency order could face criminal or civil consequences.
Language of the order clearly states that violation or failure to comply is a misdemeanor — but officials have, so far, taken a softer approach to enforcement.
SLO Downtown launches virtual shopping portal
The streets of downtown San Luis Obispo may have been empty since the shelter at home order took effect last week, but downtown officials are working hard to keep business thriving in the area.
Downtown SLO, which represents businesses and organizes events in the downtown corridor, has launched a Virtual Downtown SLO where people can shop at their favorite local businesses from the comfort of home. The portal also provides daily updates on restaurants, cafes, bakeries and candy shops and if they are open or providing takeout and delivery.
Jail inmates could be released early
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office on Monday said it is considering releasing some jail inmates early following a flu outbreak at the facility and dozens of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the county.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said in an email Monday that the agency is “reviewing with the DA’s Office a list of potential releases, however we have not released (inmates) yet.”
He wrote that the Sheriff’s Office is “focusing on the age and the health of non-violent inmates” in their review.
Emergency childcare needs volunteers
Calling all childcare professionals — San Luis Obispo County needs your help.
The county has launched a program to provide childcare for essential workers during the local coronavirus outbreak, and it needs early childhood care professionals to sign up to help watch the kids.
The program offers free childcare for first responders, critical healthcare staff and essential services workers who do not have other options for childcare, according to the ReadySLO.org website.
How are wineries adjusting to shelter at home rules?
Every time they set new plans in place the past two weeks, San Luis Obispo County wineries were almost immediately required to adjust.
From closures to shelter-at-home orders, local wineries have had to pivot in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic to keep their businesses afloat. Most of have focused on online sales, while others are pushing social media and deliveries.
“We get new information it seems like every hour,” Broken Earth Winery director of hospitality Elise Herrera joked March 18. “We’re taking everything day-by-day.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 7:05 AM.
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