SLO County adds 46 coronavirus cases, active cases pass 400-mark
San Luis Obispo County added 46 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1,158, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Thursday, the number of active cases broke 400, at 425 active COVID-19 patients in San Luis Obispo County, 39 more active cases than Wednesday.
San Luis Obispo County took a step backwards in the reopening process Thursday, closing gyms, hair salons, tattoo parlors and other recently reopened business sectors.
The closures were announced Wednesday, after the county was on the state’s COVID-19 watch list for three consecutive days because of a high case rate.
Atascadero added eight new coronavirus cases and Paso Robles added seven. San Luis Obispo, Oceano, Nipomo and Arroyo Grande each added three cases. Los Osos and Morro Bay each added two.
One new case was added in Grover Beach, San Miguel, Templeton, Cambria, Cayucos, and an area with less than five cases. Three of the most recent cases’ locations are unknown.
Of the most recent cases, seven are minors.
Twenty-six of the new cases received the virus via community spread.
Five of the most recent cases are travel related, 13 were acquired by person to person contact and two are still under investigation.
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.
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.
According to the county public health department, cases are categorized by zip code rather than city or town limits.
The Paso Robles area continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the county with 276.
That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 181 cases, and Nipomo with 157. Atascadero has 120 and Arroyo Grande is at 109 cases total.
Grover Beach has 54 cases, San Miguel has 40, Templeton has 41 and Pismo Beach has 36.
Oceano has 26 cases, and California Men’s Colony reported 11 inmates with positive coronavirus results.
Los Osos has 24 cases and Morro Bay has 16.
Cambria has 11 cases, while Santa Margarita has nine. Cayucos has eight cases, Shandon has six and Avila Beach has six.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 19 cases altogether. And eight cases are listed as unknown.
In total, 236 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 131 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 20 are people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 325 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 338 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 107 cases involve people age 17 and younger. One case’s age is unknown.
In total, 422 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning they came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 118 cases are travel related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 350 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 268 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 28,869 tests locally. Between Tuesday and Thursday, 566 tests were conducted.
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.
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 16, 2020 at 2:11 PM.
