SLO County adds 22 new COVID-19 cases — including 15 in North County

San Luis Obispo County added 22 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing the total number of people who have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 2,300, according to ReadySLO.org.

Cal Poly has added eight new coronavirus cases since Monday, all from students, according to the university’s COVID-19 information website.

That brings its total to 29 total cases since March — 23 of which involve students, and six of which involve university employees. Of the positive cases, 22 live in San Luis Obispo County.

New COVID-19 cases by city and age

The city of San Luis Obispo added three coronavirus cases on Wednesday.

In the North County, Paso Robles added nine coronavirus cases, while Atascadero added three cases, San Miguel added two and Templeton added one.

In the South County, Nipomo added two cases and Grover Beach added two and Oceano added one case of COVID-19.

No cases were added in the North Coast area.

Of the most recent local cases four involve people 50 and older, while 18 involve people under the age of 50.

SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers

A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 1,935 — have completely recovered from the illness.

A total of 327 people are still recovering at home. Of the 21 patients receiving hospital treatment, five patients remain in intensive care units.

There have been 17 local deaths related to coronavirus, including a person in their 90s with chronic health problems.

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 625, while Nipomo has 285 cases.

The city of San Luis Obispo has 281 coronavirus cases.

Atascadero has 257 case, and Arroyo Grande has 163.

Grover Beach has 109 coronavirus cases, Templeton has 90, San Miguel has 83 and Oceano has 68.

Pismo Beach has 48 cases of coronavirus, Los Osos has 44, Morro Bay has 30 and Cambria has 28 cases.

Santa Margarita has 23 cases, Shandon has 16 and Cayucos has 13. Avila Beach has seven and San Simeon has six COVID-19 cases,

A total of 117 inmates and 14 employees at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo have tested positive for COVID-19 since March, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 11 cases altogether. Three cases are listed as under investigation which is one less than Tuesday.

In total, 425 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, while 198 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 49 involve people over the age of 85 years old.

There are 766 residents aged 30 to 49 who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 632 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 229 cases involve people age 17 and younger.

The age of one case remains under investigation.

In total, 870 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning the patient came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 169 cases are travel-related, according to ReadySLO.org.

Another 622 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 639 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.

San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 44,480 tests locally as of Wednesday.

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. Tuesday 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 12, 2020 at 2:17 PM.