SLO County adds 63 new coronavirus cases — and a seventh death

San Luis Obispo County added 63 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1,369, according to ReadySLO.org.

Also on Tuesday, the county reported that a seventh local resident had died due to COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, there were a total of local 459 active COVID-19 cases.

In the North County, Paso Robles added 14 COVID-19 cases, Atascadero added seven and Templeton added one.

In the South County, Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach each added five coronavirus cases, Pismo Beach added two and Nipomo added eight.

And in San Luis Obispo, 12 new cases were reported.

Of the most recent local cases, 23 involve people 50 and older, while 42 involve people under the age of 50. Three cases remain under investigation.

Of the new cases, one was transmitted via person to person, the county said, and 62 were under investigation. No new cases appeared Tuesday to be transmitted by person-to-person contact or community spread.

SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers

A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 903 — have completely recovered from the illness.

A total of 448 people are still recovering at home. Of 10 patients receiving hospital treatment, four patients remain in intensive care units.

Seven local residents have died from COVID-19, including a person in their 80s who lived in a North County nursing home that had experienced a coronavirus outbreak

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 328.

That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 215 cases, and Nipomo with 199. Atascadero has 142 and Arroyo Grande is at 124 cases total.

Grover Beach has 64 cases, San Miguel has 45, Templeton has 49 and Pismo Beach has 41.

Oceano has 27 cases, and California Men’s Colony reported 11 inmates with positive coronavirus results.

Los Osos has 29 cases and Morro Bay has 17.

Cambria has 13 cases, while Santa Margarita has 13. Cayucos has nine cases, Shandon has eight and Avila Beach has six.

Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 22 cases altogether. And seven cases are listed as under investigation.

In total, 262 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 149 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 26 are people over the age of 85 years old.

There are 407 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 393 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 131 cases involve people age 17 and younger. The ages of three local patients are unknown.

In total, 442 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 374 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 433 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.

San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 30,378 tests locally.

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 facility will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at the Paso Robles City Library study center, 3600 Oak St., Suite 101, in Paso Robles.

Testing will also be available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 27 through July 29 at the Morro Bay Veterans Memorial Building, 209 Surf St. in Morro Bay.

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 21, 2020 at 2:52 PM.