SLO County adds 34 new coronavirus cases, passing 1,100 cases
San Luis Obispo County added 34 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1,112, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Wednesday, there were 386 active COVID-19 patients in San Luis Obispo County, 27 more active cases than Tuesday, a record-high number of active local patients at any time during the pandemic.
Tuesday marked four months since the first local coronavirus case.
Paso Robles added 11 new cases of coronavirus, while San Luis Obispo added five and Nipomo added three.
Arroyo Grande also added three new COVID-19 cases. Grover Beach and Templeon both added two cases.
One new case was added in Atascadero, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Cambria, Santa Margarita and Avila Beach. One new case was listed as unknown, and another one was listed as other.
Of the newest cases, 25 involve people under the age of 50, three of whom are minors, and the other eight cases involve patients 50 and over.
SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 720 — have completely recovered from the illness, with 21 new recoveries since Tuesday.
A total of 374 people are still recovering at home. Of 11 patients receiving hospital treatment, six patients remain in intensive care units.
Six local residents have died from COVID-19, including most recently a person in their 90s who had been living in a care facility.
The Paso Robles area continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the county with 269.
That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 176 cases, and Nipomo with 152. Atascadero has 112 and Arroyo Grande is at 104 cases total.
Grover Beach has 53 cases, San Miguel has 39, Templeton has 40 and Pismo Beach has 36.
Oceano has 23 cases, and California Men’s Colony reported 11 inmates with positive coronavirus results.
Los Osos has 22 cases and Morro Bay has 14.
Cambria has 10 cases, while Santa Margarita has nine. Cayucos has seven cases, Shandon has six and Avila Beach has six.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 18 cases altogether. And five cases are listed as unknown.
In total, 227 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 128 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 19 are people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 312 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 324 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 100 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
In total, 409 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning they came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 113 cases are travel related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 324 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 266 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 28,303 tests as of Tuesday.
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 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 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 15, 2020 at 1:23 PM.
