SLO County adds 4 new coronavirus cases
San Luis Obispo County added four new coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the total of local COVID-19 cases to 208.
At Monday’s news briefing, San Luis Obispo County public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said the county expects the number of local positive cases to increase in the coming days as the county ups testing of residents.
Details on the latest cases have not yet been released.
Compared to San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County has more than double the number of coronavirus cases — with a total of 544 cases as of Tuesday. The county recently reported its ninth death.
The state of California has has 58,815 total cases and 2,412 deaths as of Wednesday morning, according to ca.gov. And a total of 809,036 tests have been conducted statewide.
As the state moves forward with reopening, testing and contact tracing will be crucial.
San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials determined Wednesday that 49 of the county’s COVID-19 cases were acquired during travel, 87 cases were acquired through person-to-person contact with a known case and 68 cases were acquired through community spread.
Meanwhile, four cases were acquired through unknown means, officials said.
SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers
The county’s Public Health and private labs have conducted a total of more than 3,600 tests as of Wednesday. Seventy-one of the positive cases were reported by the Public Health Lab and 137 were reported by private labs.
Of the 208 people who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 in the county, 160 people have completely recovered, 42 are recovering at home.
Five people are receiving treatment in the hospital, and three hospitalized patients are in the intensive care unit.
One local resident has died from COVID-19.
Paso Robles now has 72 cases, Atascadero has 34 cases, San Miguel has eight, and Templeton has seven.
Arroyo Grande has 19 and Nipomo has 16 cases. Pismo Beach has seven, and Morro Bay has six.
San Luis Obispo now has 17 cases.
Eleven inmates at the California Men’s Colony have now tested positive for COVID-19, and Public Health officials say they’re monitoring the state prison facility closely.
Other areas —which are defined as cities or towns with less than five cases each — have 11 cases.
Of those who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, 15 are age 17 or younger, 91 are 18 to 49 years old, 59 are 50 to 64 years old and 43 are age 65 and older.
When and where to get a COVID-19 test
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Mild symptoms also include chills, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose and diarrhea.
Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are particularly vulnerable.
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.
Free coronavirus test clinics
The county Public Health Department will soon open two free coronavirus testing clinics in Grover Beach and Paso Robles that will be able to administer a combined 260 tests.
Who can get tested at the clinics?
- Healthcare workers and first responders
- 65 and older, or any age with chronic medical conditions
- Residents or employees of congregate care living facilities
- Workers in essential jobs, which includes utilities, grocery, food supply, and public employees
- Anyone exhibiting one or more symptoms of COVID-19
When and where? Testing will be available by appointment only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Paso Robles Veterans Hall, 240 Scott St. in Paso Robles, and Ramona Garden Community Center, 993 Ramona Ave. in Grover Beach.
How do I schedule an appointment? Registration for appointments will begin May 2. The online registration link can be found at emergencySLO.org/en/state-sponsored-testing-sites or you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
Testing will also continue through private healthcare providers, urgent care centers and the County Public Health Lab.
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 1:30 PM.
