SLO County adds 11 coronavirus cases for the second day in a row
San Luis Obispo County added 11 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, bringing to the total number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 453, according to ReadySLO.org.
Over the weekend, SLO County’s case count increased by 38, with 24 new cases reported Saturday, three on Sunday and 11 on Monday.
Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in a Monday news release that the county anticipated a rise in cases.
“As expected, SLO County’s COVID-19 positivity rate is increasing as we expand testing and continue to open for business,” Borenstein said in the release.
She also asked that people continue to limit large social gatherings and wear face coverings in public spaces when physical distancing can’t be maintained, in accordance with a state mandate issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday.
Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach each added one new case. Nipomo added three new cases and Arroyo Grande added two.
Three of the new cases are in areas with less than five reported cases.
SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 346 — have completely recovered from the illness, with 22 new recoveries reported since Monday.
A total of 97 people are still recovering at home. Nine patients, two more than Monday, are receiving hospital treatment, and four are in intensive care units.
One local resident has died from COVID-19.
The Paso Robles area continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the county with 140.
Atascadero has 63 cases, Nipomo has 56, San Luis Obispo has 49, Arroyo Grande has 37 and Templeton has 17.
The California Men’s Colony has 11. Pismo Beach and Grover Beach each have 14 cases. Morro Bay has 10, San Miguel has nine, and Los Osos has six.
Shandon now has five cases.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 22 cases altogether.
Four of the new cases are residents over the age of 50, five are in the 18-to-49 age range and two new cases are under the age of 18.
In total, 102 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, and 73 cases involve people age 65 and older.
There are 226 residents aged 18 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19. The remaining 52 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
In total, the county has determined 60 patients acquired the virus through travel, 223 acquired it through person-to-person contact and 149 contracted it through community spread.
The county has not determined the route of transmission for 21 cases.
At least 19,114 tests have been conducted by private and public health labs in the county. Between Monday and Tuesday, 539 tests were conducted.
The County Public Health Lab has conducted 4,516 tests, with 119 of those returning positive.
Private health labs have conducted at least 14,598 tests, 334 which were positive. Private labs began reporting negative test numbers on April 13.
Where to get a COVID-19 test
Two new free COVID-19 testing clinics open this week in Oceano and Cambria.
The pop-up testing clinics will be staffed by county employees and analyzed at the Public Health Department lab, which has recently increased its testing capacity to 300 tests per day.
In addition to the pop-up testing events, free COVID-19 testing is available at ongoing sites in Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo. In total, the sites include:
▪ Cambria: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Cambria Veterans Hall, 100 Main St.
▪ Grover Beach: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ramona Garden Park, 993 Ramona Ave.
▪ Oceano: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Oceano Community Center, 1425 19th St.
▪ San Luis Obispo: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Veterans Memorial Hall, 801 Grand Ave.
Testing is available through private healthcare providers, urgent care centers and the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Lab.
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations.
To make an appointment, visit emergencySLO.org/testing; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
This story was originally published June 23, 2020 at 12:28 PM.
