Coronavirus updates: SLO County adds 3 cases, student and medical professionals 3D print masks
Tuesday marks a month since the first coronavirus case was reported in San Luis Obispo County.
With 120 cases as of Tuesday, the county has started to consider plans to phase out its shelter-at-home order.
County public health officials are looking into ways to determine of how many people have had the virus. And Cal Poly agriculture students are adapting to an empty university campus in San Luis Obispo.
Here are your local updates for Tuesday:
SLO County adds 3 coronavirus cases at 1-month mark
Since March 14, the total number of local coronavirus patients has grown to 120, with three new cases added Tuesday, according to ReadySLO.org.
With 101 recovered COVID-19 patients, there are 19 active cases, three of whom are hospitalized.
As the county continues to test for the coronavirus using nasal swab tests, the number of new cases each day has remained low.
Cal Poly student and medical professionals design 3D printed face mask
Cal Poly student Cristian Sion, who majors in materials engineering and manufacturing engineering, teamed up with SLO Surgery Center facilities engineer Jeremy Ralston and Clint Slaughter, an emergency room physician at French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo. Together, they’ve used their 3D printers to make more than 200 plastic face masks.
They have also created a website and shared how others with 3D printers can make the masks.
Oceano Dunes closure may not prove what is causing the dust problem
The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area closed for COVID-19 precautions, and people are wondering if the closure will prove whether the high levels of particulate matter is natural or a result of off-riding vehicles.
An April 6, two-page letter from the Scientific Advisory Group researching the issue indicates it’s not going to be that simple.
In short, the scientists say that while the dunes are naturally dusty, vehicle activity has had a long-term effect that won’t go away overnight.
When will SLO County get antibody testing?
Antibody testing is a new form of testing for coronavirus. Unlike the current nasal swab test available in San Luis Obispo County, the antibody test can show who had the virus in the past.
The blood test is currently in the clinical trial phase in some California cities and not yet available in San Luis Obispo County.
County public health officer Dr. Penny Boreinstein said once the test is finished with clinical trials, it could give health officials a better idea of the spread of the virus.
Cal Poly students volunteer care for animals on campus
Cal Poly’s San Luis Obispo campus is nearly empty these days, but thousands of animals remain in the agriculture unit.
Despite the move to online classes, 60 animal science students have volunteered to stay and care for the animals through the coronavirus outbreak.
How California condors are affected by coronavirus
While lead poisoning may pose more of a threat to the Central Coast California condors than COVID-19, the statewide shelter-at-home order has changed the way the Ventana Wildlife Society interacts with the birds.
According to lead VWS biologist Joe Burnett, they are counting heavily on “GPS transmitters and our live-streaming cams to monitor the flock.”
SLO County considers phasing out shelter at home
San Luis Obispo County is considering how it will go about phasing out the shelter-at-home order, as low numbers of new cases have continued.
The county said it does not have a set date for the plan to begin, but it has created a committee to examine the issue.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 9:29 AM.