SLO County adds 2 new coronavirus cases even as testing increases

San Luis Obispo County now has 104 confirmed coronavirus cases with two new patients announced Thursday. The county passed 100 cases Wednesday.

Even as the Public Health Lab significantly ratcheted up testing, the daily increase in numbers remains in the low single digits.

From Wednesday to Thursday, the Public Health Lab performed 47 new COVID-19 tests, bringing the total number of tests to 617. It had tested 42 people from Tuesday to Wednesday, 11 from Monday to Tuesday and six from Sunday to Monday.

County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein is now encouraging patients showing even mild symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, to get tested. The most common symptoms are fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, but symptoms also include sore throat, runny nose, fatigue and chills.

“If you have a picture of a respiratory illness, be it sore throat with cough, or fatigue, body aches and chills, even absent the fever, we are very much recommending people with what looks like a respiratory illness, with or without gastrointestinal symptoms, be tested,” Borenstein said at a Wednesday news briefing.

The Public Health Department worries that current data may not be showing the illness’ true impact on the county.

Of the 104 total positive cases, 44 have come from the public lab, and 60 were conducted at private labs.

The county is still working to get data about the number of total tests private labs are conducting.

Nearly three quarters of the county’s COVID-19 patients — 75 people — have completely recovered from the virus.

Twenty-five patients are recovering at home, and three patients have been hospitalized, two of whom are in the intensive care unit.

One county patient has died from COVID-19.

Patients are considered to have recovered once they’ve shown no symptoms for 72 hours and it’s been at least seven days since the onset of the illness, according to Borenstein. Patients who have recovered are not re-tested.

Coronavirus cases by community

Most of the county’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the illness caused by the new coronavirus — are still concentrated in the North County.

Paso Robles has 29 coronavirus cases, Atascadero has 20 cases, Arroyo Grande has 14 cases, and San Luis Obispo has eight cases.

Nipomo, Morro Bay, and Templeton each have six cases, and other areas have 15 cases.

When and where you should get tested

Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Mild symptoms also include chills, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose and diarrhea.

Older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to the virus.

Health officials urge those who exhibit 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.

While the county is asking for more people to get tested if they have any respiratory illness symptoms, the Public Health Lab still only operates at a capacity of 50 tests per day.

“The Public Health Department is still offering testing, but to our highest-risk patients,” Borenstein said. “Our Public Health Lab has limited capacity so unfortunately we cannot ourselves open our testing to the entire general population.”

People with symptoms should call their private health providers first, or if they do not have a health provider, go to urgent care. Places that are accepting samples to get tested can be found on the county’s website.

If a person is struggling to be tested and presents with the symptoms listed above, they can call the Public Health Department at 805-781-5500. However, the Public Health cannot guarantee anyone a test.

Go to the emergency room only if you are experiencing a medical emergency.

The county has opened the Cal Poly Alternate Care site, which will be staffed by the Medical Reserve Corps volunteers.

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 April 9, 2020 at 1:09 PM.