SLO County adds 5 new coronavirus cases, 4 of which are in North County
San Luis Obispo County added five local cases Wednesday — four in the North County and one in the South County — bringing the local total to 232.
This is the third time in the past four days that the county had seen an increase of five or more COVID-19 cases per day.
Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande and Templeton each added on new case. And two new cases were reported in Atascadero.
To the south, Santa Barbara County had 1,371 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday — 896 of whom are inmates at the Lompoc federal prison, according to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department. The city of Santa Maria, which borders San Luis Obispo County, has 186 cases, adding 3 on Tuesday.
Statewide, California has 71,141 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 1,759 new cases since yesterday. And 2,934 people have died from the virus as of Monday.
With testing capacity increasing, California has now passed 1 million people tested across the state. According to state data, 1,065,592 tests have been reported as of Wednesday, with 32,222 new tests.
San Luis Obispo County private and public labs have conducted 295 tests between Tuesday and Wednesday.
The county’s Public Health Department has conducted a total of 2,242 tests as of Wednesday with 79 positive COVID-19 cases. Private labs have conducted at least 3,210 tests with 153 positive results. Private labs have reported negative results to the county since April 13.
Coronavirus cases by the numbers
No new recovered cases were reported locally Wednesday, holding the total number of recovered cases in San Luis Obispo County at 183.
Of the active cases, 44 are recovering at home, and four patients are in hospitals. Two of them are in intensive care.
One local resident has died from COVID-19.
By closely tracking positive cases, San Luis Obispo County Public Health officials determined that, as of Tuesday, 49 of the county’s COVID-19 cases were acquired during travel, 105 cases were acquired through person-to-person contact with a known case and 78 cases were acquired through community spread.
One of the most recent case’s route of transmission was through community spread, the other four were from person-to-person contact.
The North County has the most coronavirus cases, with 87 confirmed in Paso Robles, 36 in Atascadero, eight in San Miguel and eight in Templeton.
Arroyo Grande has 21 cases, and Nipomo has 17. Pismo Beach now has nine, and Morro Bay has six.
The number of cases confirmed in the city of San Luis Obispo remains at 17.
Eleven inmates at the California Men’s Colony have 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 12 cases.
Of those who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, 23 are age 17 or younger, 101 are 18 to 49 years old, 61 are 50 to 64 years old and 47 are age 65 and older.
Two of the most recent cases are minors.
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.
Coronavirus test clinics
Two new coronavirus testing clinics have opened in Grover Beach and Paso Robles that will be able to administer a combined 260 tests a day. If insured, the county will bill the resident’s insurance company, however if the resident does not have insurance, they may still be tested for free.
Who can get tested at the clinics?
- Health care 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 began 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 health care 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 13, 2020 at 1:19 PM.
