SLO County adds 101 new cases of coronavirus, passing 1,000-case mark
San Luis Obispo County added 101 new cases of coronavirus over the weekend and Monday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1,006, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Monday, there were 313 active COVID-19 patients in San Luis Obispo County, the highest total of active local patients yet.
Paso Robles added 23 new cases of coronavirus, while San Luis Obispo added 18 and Arroyo Grande added 15.
Grover Beach had 11 additional COVID-19 cases, Nipomo added eight, Pismo Beach added seven and Atascadero added five. Los Osos and Templeton each added three cases, while Cambria and Oceano added two apiece.
Cayucos, Morro Bay, San Miguel and Santa Margarita each added one case.
Of the newest cases, 69 involve people under the age of 50, and the other 32 cases involve patients over 50.
SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 688— have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 299 people are still recovering at home. Ten patients are receiving hospital treatment, and six patients remain in intensive care units.
Five local residents have died from COVID-19, including most recently a person in their 70s who had underlying health conditions.
The Paso Robles area continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the county with 244.
That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 163 cases, and Nipomo with 141. Atascadero has 98 and Arroyo Grande is at 89 cases total.
Grover Beach has 48 cases, San Miguel has 38, Templeton has 34 and Pismo Beach has 33. The California Men’s Colony has reported 11 cases.
Los Osos has 20 cases, Oceano has 19 and Morro Bay has 13.
Cambria has nine cases, while Santa Margarita has eight. Cayucos has seven cases, Shandon has six and Avila Beach has five.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 16 cases altogether. And four cases are listed as unknown.
In total, 206 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 119 cases involve people age 65 to 84 and 19 are people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 281 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 289 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 92 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
In total, 398 cases were acquired by person to person contact, meaning they came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 112 cases are travel related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 318 cases were acquired by community spread, which means they do not know if they came into direct contact with a confirmed case and they did not acquire it by travel.
And 178 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 27,952 tests as of Monday.
Where to get a COVID-19 test
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, San Luis Obispo County says it can no longer keep up with an increased demand in testing.
On July 8, county public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein asked that only community members with COVID-19 symptoms and those who work in high-risk settings, such as essential workers and congregate living facility workers, get tested.
A pop-up testing clinic will be open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Dana Elementary School, 920 W. Tefft St. in Nipomo.
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 13, 2020 at 2:32 PM.
