SLO County adds 8 new coronavirus cases — and 1 death
A 20th San Luis Obispo County resident died due to COVID-19 Wednesday as the county added eight new coronavirus cases.
The person who died was in their 80s with underlying health conditions, according to a tweet by the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department.
Wednesday marks the lowest daily case count in more than two months, one fewer than Tuesday. A total of 2,579 people have locally tested positive for COVID-19 since March, according to ReadySLO.org.
New COVID-19 cases by city
The city of San Luis Obispo saw three new coronavirus cases Wednesday.
In the North County, two cases were removed from Paso Robles and three were added to Atascadero. One new case was added to Templeton and San Miguel.
In the South County, one case was removed from Nipomo and one was added to both Oceano and Grover Beach.
In the North Coast area, one case was removed from Cayucos. Morro Bay, Los Osos and Cambria each added one case.
No new cases were reported in undisclosed parts of the county, one case was removed from the under investigation category.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 2,131— have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 408 people are still recovering at home. Of the 19 patients receiving hospital treatment, five patients remain in intensive care units.
A total of 20 county residents have died due to coronavirus, including a person in their 80s who died Wednesday. 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 667, while Nipomo has 294 cases.
The city of San Luis Obispo has 293 coronavirus cases.
Atascadero has 289 cases, and Arroyo Grande has 173.
Grover Beach has 122 coronavirus cases, Templeton has 100, San Miguel has 96 and Oceano has 85.
Pismo Beach has 49 cases of coronavirus, while Los Osos has 47 and Morro Bay has 35. Cambria has 30 cases.
Santa Margarita has 23, Shandon has 16, Cayucos has 13. 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 three cases are listed as under investigation.
In total, 473 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, while 215 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 52 involve people over the age of 85 years old.
There are 906 residents aged 30 to 49 who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 689 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 244 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
In total, 1,205 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 728 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 462 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 49,701 tests locally. A total of 498 tests were completed between Tuesday and Wednesday.
SLO County COVID-19 cases by ethnicity and ocupation
The county Health Department added a new category organizing positive COVID-19 cases by ethnicity on ReadySLO.org.
The county reported Wednesday that 1,190 positive COVID-19 cases involved Hispanic or Latino residents, or, 46%, while 926 cases, or 36%, involved non-Hispanic or Latino people.
Another 462 cases are of unknown ethnicity, and 1 case is still under investigation.
Edler had told The Tribune that in areas like Paso Robles and Nipomo, multi-generational housing is more common.
Public Health Department spokesperson Michelle Shoresman said via email that in areas with higher per capita rates, the county has seen more dense living situations and more people in agriculture and construction jobs. The county also noted that in those areas there has been less compliance with mask wearing and people have not been avoiding gatherings as much.
Health experts and advocates have attributed higher case counts among Hispanics and Latnios to “barriers that prevent some from accessing healthcare, a higher likelihood of living in multi-generational households and working in professions considered essential that cannot be accomplished at home,” according to the Sacramento Bee.
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 393 cases involving craftsmen, construction workers and other skilled labor professions.
A total of 302 cases involve people working in education and child care settings, while 260 involve those in office, management, sales or retail professions. There are 186 cases in food service; 166 cases in the health care and dental care; 117 cases in agriculture and 102 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 235 positive cases are listed as not specified, and 51 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. Wednesday and 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 19, 2020 at 1:39 PM.
