SLO County adds 68 new coronavirus cases over holiday weekend
San Luis Obispo County reported 68 new coronavirus cases over the holiday weekend, bringing the total number of people who locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 765, according to ReadySLO.org.
On Saturday, the county passed 700 COVID-19 cases, reaching 718, with 21 new cases. Twenty-six new cases were reported Sunday and 21 on Monday.
As of Monday, there are 198 active COVID-19 patients in San Luis Obispo County. Saturday saw the highest total of active local patients yet at 223.
San Luis Obispo added 13 cases, followed by San Miguel which added 10, and Paso Robles and Arroyo Grande, which added nine each.
Nipomo added seven cases. Atascadero, Grover Beach and Templeton all added three cases. One case was added in each Morro Bay, Oceano, Los Osos, and Pismo Beach.
Avila Beach had five cases as of Monday.
Of the new cases, 25 involve adults 50 years old or older, and 39 involve adults under the age of 50. Four of the latest people to test positive for COVID-19 are minors.
According to the county Public Health Department, San Luis Obispo County meets all state criteria to remain open.
SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 565 — have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 185 people are still recovering at home. Thirteen patients are receiving hospital treatment, five of whom are in intensive care units.
Two local residents have died from COVID-19, including a 94-year-old patient who had been hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms for about two weeks.
The first San Luis Obispo County resident to die of coronavirus died in early April.
The Paso Robles area continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the county with 184.
That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 123 cases, and Nipomo with 113. Atascadero has 78 and Arroyo Grande is at 63 cases total.
Templeton has 27 cases, Grover Beach has 28, San Miguel has 30 and Pismo Beach has 22. The California Men’s Colony has reported 11 cases.
Morro Bay has 11, Los Osos has 16 and Shandon has six. Oceano has 16 cases and Cambria has seven.
Avila Beach now has five cases.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 18 cases altogether. And one case is listed as unknown.
In total, 163 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 91 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 16 are people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 206 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 219 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 70 cases involve people age 17 and younger. 65
In total, the county has determined 90 patients acquired the virus through travel, 315 acquired it through person-to-person contact and 259 contracted it through community spread.
The county has not determined the route of transmission for 101 cases.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 25,141 tests. Between Thursday and Monday, 1,668 tests were conducted.
Where to get a COVID-19 test
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, testing has increased in San Luis Obispo County.
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.
A pop-up clinic will be available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Pavillion on the Lake in Atascadero.
In addition to the pop-up testing events, free COVID-19 testing is available at ongoing sites in Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo.
▪ Grover Beach: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ramona Garden Park, 993 Ramona Ave.
▪ 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.
The county continues to ask that people 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.
This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 2:21 PM.
