SLO County adds 55 coronavirus cases — including 23 in North County
San Luis Obispo County added 55 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1,213, according to ReadySLO.org.
As of Friday, the total number of active cases reached 470, 45 more than Thursday.
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.
In the North County, Paso Robles added 12 COVID-19 cases, Atascadero added four, Templeton added five, Shandon added one and San Miguel added one.
In the South County, Arroyo Grande added three coronavirus cases and Nipomo added nine.
Along the coast, Los Osos added two and Grover Beach added one. And in San Luis Obispo, seven new cases were reported.
One new case was listed as other and six were listed as unknown.
Of the most recent local cases, three involve minors.
Six of the new cases received the virus via community spread.
Two of the most recent cases are travel related, three were acquired by person to person contact and 44 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 — 737 — have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 411 people are still recovering at home. Of 11 patients receiving hospital treatment, five patients remain in intensive care units.
The status of 48 cases is unknown and not shown on ReadySLO.org.
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 288.
That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 188 cases, and Nipomo with 166. Atascadero has 124 and Arroyo Grande is at 112 cases total.
Grover Beach has 55 cases, San Miguel has 43, Templeton has 46 and Pismo Beach has 36.
Oceano has 26 cases, and California Men’s Colony reported 11 inmates with positive coronavirus results.
Los Osos has 26 cases and Morro Bay has 16.
Cambria has 11 cases, while Santa Margarita has 10. Cayucos has eight cases, Shandon has seven and Avila Beach has six.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 20 cases altogether. And 14 cases are listed as unknown.
In total, 241 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 134 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 20 are people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 354 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 352 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 110 cases involve people age 17 and younger. The ages of two local patients are unknown.
In total, 425 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning the patient came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 120 cases are travel related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 356 cases were acquired by community spread, which means patients do not know if they came into direct contact with a confirmed case and they did not acquire COVID-19 by travel.
And 312 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 29,177 tests locally. Between Thursday and Friday, 308 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 17, 2020 at 1:57 PM.
