SLO County adds 9 new COVID-19 cases — the lowest daily count in months
San Luis Obispo County added nine new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, the lowest daily case count in more than two months, according to ReadySLO.org.
The county reported one new COVID-19 on June 3.
A total of 2,571 people have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March, according to ReadySLO.org.
The county recently added categories to the ReadySLO.org website that break down local cases in terms of ethnicity and occupation.
New COVID-19 cases by city and age
The city of San Luis Obispo saw one new coronavirus case on Tuesday.
In the North County, Paso Robles added two new coronavirus cases, while Atascadero and Templeton added two cases.
In the South County, only Nipomo added one case.
In the North Coast area, only Cambria added one case.
No new cases were reported in undisclosed parts of the county, nor were any new cases added that are under investigation.
Of the most recent local cases, the majority — seven — involve people under the age of 50, and two involved people over 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 — 2,095— have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 430 people are still recovering at home. Of the 20 patients receiving hospital treatment, five patients remain in intensive care units.
A total of 19 county residents have died due to coronavirus, including a person in their 90s who lived at a skilled nursing home. The person had underlying health conditions, according to a tweet by the county Public Health Department.
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 669, while Nipomo has 295 cases.
The city of San Luis Obispo has 290 coronavirus cases.
Atascadero has 286 cases, and Arroyo Grande has 173.
Grover Beach has 121 coronavirus cases, Templeton has 99, San Miguel has 95 and Oceano has 84.
Pismo Beach has 49 cases of coronavirus, while Los Osos has 46 and Morro Bay has 34. Cambria has 29 cases.
Santa Margarita has 23, Shandon has 16, Cayucos has 14. Avila Beach has eight, and San Simeon has six COVID-19 cases.
A total of 224 inmates and 25 employees at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo have tested positive for COVID-19 since mid-March, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (The case numbers reported on the CDCR website vary slightly from those reported on ReadySLO.org.)
Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 11 cases altogether. And four cases are listed as under investigation.
In total, 469 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, while 214 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 52 involve people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 903 residents aged 30 to 49 who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 691 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 242 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
In total, 1,190 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning the patient came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 184 cases are travel-related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 718 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 479 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 49,203 tests locally. A total of 3,219 tests were completed since Monday.
SLO County COVID-19 cases by ethnicity
The county Health Department added a new category organizing positive COVID-19 cases by ethnicity on ReadySLO.org.
The county reported that 1,182 positive COVID-19 cases involved Hispanic or Latino residents, or, 45%, while 919 cases, or 35%, involved non-Hispanic or Latino people.
Another 459 cases are of unknown ethnicity, and 11 cases are still under investigation.
SLO County COVID-19 cases by occupation
The county’s ReadySLO.org site also features a new category organizing positive COVID-19 cases by occupation.
The report listed on ReadySLO.org shows 531 coronavirus cases involving retired or unemployed people and 386 cases involving craftsmen, construction workers and other skilled labor professions.
A total of 296 cases involve people working in education and child care settings, while 258 involve those in office, management, sales or retail professions. There are 184 cases in food service; 167 cases in the health care and dental care; 115 cases in agriculture and 100 cases in professional, technical and related professions.
A total of 79 cases involve first responders, six cases involve police officers, and two cases involve veterinarians and other animal health practitioners.
The occupations of another 248 positive cases are listed as not specified, and 50 cases as unknown.
Where to get a COVID-19 test
After briefly requesting that residents hold back on getting tested for coronavirus, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is once again urging anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, or those who have come into contact with someone with the virus, to get tested.
In a news release on Aug. 14, the county said it has expanded its testing capacity and “can once again test anyone who may have been exposed, even if you do not have symptoms.”
“If you think you have been exposed, stay home and make an appointment online to get tested at least five days after exposure,” Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in the release. “Please also stay home until you receive your test results. We don’t want anyone unknowingly spreading COVID-19.”
A pop-up testing location will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at Pavilion On the Lake, 9315 Pismo Ave. in Atascadero.
Another testing site is located at the Nipomo Senior Center on 200 Beechnut St., from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Aug. 24 until Sept. 3.
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 18, 2020 at 1:52 PM.