Coronavirus updates: SLO County ventilator order delayed; ASH employees worry about safety
As the number of local coronavirus cases continue to grow, San Luis Obispo County is preparing for the possibility of thousands of potential local patients, and the needs associated with that surge.
To combat that, the county is in the process of building an alternative care site, as well as gathering staff to man it, while local businesses continue to pivot to manufacture goods necessary for fighting the virus that causes COVID-19.
Here are your San Luis Obispo County coronavirus updates for Tuesday:
3 new SLO County cases
San Luis Obispo County has 80 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Monday, with three new patients, according to the Public Health Department.
Of the total cases, 30 have completely recovered, according to the Public Health.
Cal Poly care site under construction
An ambitious project began Monday to convert the Cal Poly Recreation Center into a temporary alternative care facility in anticipation of a potential surge in coronavirus patients.
San Luis Obispo County is working with several community partners to prepare 931 beds for medical care that includes oxygenation and hydration treatment (including intravenous fluids) for patients with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the county says it has enough volunteers to staff the site for now, though it will likely need more in the future and it is still looking for volunteers for other necessary activities.
Paso Robles tree house company making plastic gowns
Daniels Wood Land in Paso Robles — known for manufacturing high-end, custom tree houses and theme park props — was forced to close and temporarily lay off 47 employees due to the local shelter-at-home order.
However, after talking with local emergency services providers, the company found a way to pay workers and help the community at the same time.
Instead of crafting playgrounds and tree houses, employees would make plastic protective gowns for first responders and emergency medical workers.
Teens still gathering in groups despite social distancing
At a media briefing in San Luis Obispo, public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said her office has been barraged with calls from concerned individuals saying teenagers and kids are not practicing physical distancing.
Borenstein urged teens to limit their social activities, including outdoor activities that would potentially require physical contact and even “just friend-to-friend, going house-to-house.”
Q&A with SLO County doctor on coronavirus
Dr. Brad Knox is the vice chief of staff and the chair of the emergency department at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo. He is also an emergency doctor at Twin Cities Community Hospital.
Via video conferencing site Zoom, Knox talked to The Tribune about COVID-19 and how local health care providers are coping.
Santa Barbara County cases jump
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara County jumped to 88 on Monday, and the county’s top medical officer called the situation “scary.”
“The mathematics of this virus is vicious,” said Dr. Henning Ansorg, Santa Barbara County public health officer, during the daily afternoon news briefing.
Ansorg reported 20 additional confirmed cases since Sunday, all but one in the North County.
Meanwhile, a total of four Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies have tested positive for coronavirus, the agency confirmed Tuesday.
ASH employees worry about potential coronavirus outbreak
Atascadero State Hospital employees say they are concerned about safety precautions and staffing levels as administrators try to shield the psychiatric health facility from California’s growing coronavirus outbreak.
They’re afraid it’s just a matter of time before a patient or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Ventilators order delayed
Soon after San Luis Obispo County placed a $500,000 medical equipment order for 100 ventilators to One Beat CPR, the Florida-based vendor delayed fulfilling the order because the federal government requested the same supplies, leaving the county in the lurch as it tries to get ahead of the local coronavirus outbreak.
The county expects One Beat CPR to send 25 to 50 ventilators by the end of April, but meanwhile the county is working to find other sources to purchase the necessary equipment.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 10:48 AM with the headline "Coronavirus updates: SLO County ventilator order delayed; ASH employees worry about safety."
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