SLO County adds 24 new coronavirus cases — more than half in North County

San Luis Obispo County added 24 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 1393, according to ReadySLO.org.

As of Wednesday, there were a total of local 469 active COVID-19 cases.

In the North County, Paso Robles added nine COVID-19 cases and Templeton added five.

In the South County, one case was subtracted from Arroyo Grande, so its count is now 123. Grover Beach and Nipomo added two new cases.

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

Of the most recent local cases, five involve people 50 and older, while 20 involve people under the age of 50. Two cases remain under investigation.

Of the new cases, three were transmitted via person to person, the county said, and 16 were under investigation. Five new cases appeared Wednesday to be transmitted by community spread.

The increase in local coronavirus cases comes after a skilled nursing facility in Templeton reported an outbreak.

Seven residents and two staff members at Vineyard Hills Health Center had tested positive for coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to parent company Compass Health, which owns all seven skilled nursing facilities in the county.

A hospice patient at Vineyard Hills died while COVID-19 positive on July 17.

SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers

A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 917 — have completely recovered from the illness.

A total of 457 people are still recovering at home. Of the 12 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 337.

That city is followed by San Luis Obispo, which has 218 cases, and Nipomo with 201. Atascadero has 142 and Arroyo Grande is at 123 cases total.

Grover Beach has 66 cases, Templeton has 54, San Miguel has 45 and Pismo Beach has 41.

Los Osos has 29 cases, Oceano has 28 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.

The California Men’s Colony reported 11 inmates with positive coronavirus results.

Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 26 cases altogether. And six cases are listed as under investigation.

In total, 263 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, 149 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 28 are people over the age of 85 years old.

There are 417 residents aged 30 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and 393 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 136 cases involve people age 17 and younger. The ages of two local patients are unknown.

In total, 445 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 379 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 449 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.

San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 31,453 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. Wednesday and Thursday at the Paso Robles City Library study center, 3600 Oak St., Suite 101, in Paso Robles.

Testing will also be available Monday, July 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28 and 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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 22, 2020 at 2:03 PM.