SLO County has 6 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 77

San Luis Obispo County has 77 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Monday, with 6 new patients, according to the Public Health Department.

Of the total cases, 27 have completely recovered, according to the Public Health.

Seven people are hospitalized, including one person who is in the ICU.

The other 43 county residents who tested positive for coronavirus are weathering the illness at home, according to ReadySLO.org.

None of the county’s patients have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Geographically, the North County remains home to the most local patients, with more than half of the county’s confirmed cases.

Broken down by city, Paso Robles has 20 cases, Atascadero has 13, Arroyo Grande has 12, Morro Bay has six, San Luis Obispo has seven, Templeton has six, and Nipomo has five. The locations of another eight cases are listed as other, which means they are in towns or cities with less than five cases, according to the county website.

The age range with the highest number of cases is 18 to 47 with 33 cases, followed by 65-plus with 21, 50-to-64 with 20 and under-17 with three.

A majority of the cases have been travel-related, with 28 confirmed cases who recently traveled outside of the county. Another 24 cases were transmitted person-to person, and 17 received the virus by community transmission. Eight cases have unknown routes of transmission, according to Public Health.

Public Health has conducted 416 COVID-19 tests, 34 of which have been positive. The other 43 cases have been detected at private labs.

COVID-19 symptoms to watch

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.

The county is currently preparing for a surge in cases and has asked qualified volunteers to apply for the Medical Reserve Corps. The corps would be activated in event that hospitals reach capacity and Cal Poly is used as an alternative care site.

To volunteer for the medical corps auxiliary, sign up at HealthcareVolunteers.ca.gov and then email the San Luis Obispo Medical Corps coordinator at slomrc@gmail.com.

Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations.

This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 12:52 PM.