Highest single-day total pushes SLO County past 2,000 coronavirus cases
San Luis Obispo County added 77 new cases of coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 2,047, according to ReadySLO.org.
Thursday’s count marked the highest daily increase in local COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
The county reported 74 new coronavirus cases on July 23.
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department issued a disclaimer Wednesday on its ReadySLO.org website regarding COVID-19 case numbers.
“We have been alerted by the state that issues with the electronic system for lab records is causing a statewide delay in case reporting,” the county said.
New COVID-19 cases by city and age
Twenty cases classified as “other” and two classified as “under investigation” on Wednesday have been reclassified as cases within areas with five or more cases.
In the North County, Paso Robles added 23 coronavirus cases, Atascadero added 18, Templeton added two cases and San Miguel added seven cases. Santa Margarita added one case.
In the South County, Nipomo added five cases, Arroyo Grande added three cases and Grover Beach added two cases. Oceano and Pismo Beach added one case each.
In the North Coast area, Los Osos added three cases and Cayucos added two cases of COVID-19,
The city of San Luis Obispo added 30 cases.
Of the most recent local cases, 22 involve people 50 and older, while 55 involve people under the age of 50.
Forty of the most recent cases were transmitted person to person, 18 were acquired through community spread and three cases were related to travel.
A total of 16 new cases are still being investigated and listed as unknown, the county said.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 1,666 — have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 347 people are still recovering at home. Of the 17 patients receiving hospital treatment, seven patients remain in intensive care units.
A total of 15 San Luis Obispo County residents have died due to COVID-19, including a person in their 90s with underlying health conditions. One death is now being listed as under investigation.
The person was living at Paradise Valley Care, an assisted living facility in Atascadero that is experiencing 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 541.
Nipomo has 271 cases and San Luis Obispo has 302 cases. Atascadero has 237, and Arroyo Grande has 154 cases.
Grover Beach has 100 cases, Templeton has 82, and San Miguel has 70, Oceano has 60 cases of COVID-19.
Pismo Beach has 45 cases, Los Osos has 43 and Morro Bay and Cambria have 27 cases each.
Santa Margarita has 20, Shandon has 13, Cayucos has 12, Avila Beach has seven, San Simeon has six COVID-19 cases.
Two additional employees and nine more inmates at the California Men’s Colony tested positive for coronavirus Thursday, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
In total, 12 CMC staff members and 97 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March.
The county was told by the state Tuesday that there is an issue with the electronic system for lab records, resulting in a statewide delay in case reporting, which has affected overall data at the county level, according to county Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein.
The county is currently not including CMC inmates in its overall case count.
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 29 cases altogether. And one case is listed as under investigation.
In total, 379 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, while 190 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 48 involve people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 656 residents aged 30 to 49 who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 567 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 205 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
The age of two cases remains under investigation.
In total, 568 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning the patient came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 135 cases are travel related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 459 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 885 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
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.
In July, 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 location will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, through Thursday, Aug. 20, at Pavilion On the Lake, 9315 Pismo Ave. in Atascadero.
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 August 6, 2020 at 4:45 PM.