SLO County adds 54 new COVID-19 cases — and another death
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect the accurate number of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County. A previous version of this article had double-counted the number of California Men’s Colony coronavirus cases.
San Luis Obispo County added 52 coronavirus cases on Friday, according to ReadySLO.org — and another death.
The most recent death, a resident in their 30s, was the youngest person to die due to COVID-19 in San Luis Obispo County.
A total of 2,665 people have tested positive for coronavirus in San Luis Obispo County since March.
New COVID-19 cases by city
The city of San Luis Obispo saw four new coronavirus cases Friday.
In the North County, Paso Robles added eight cases, Atascadero added six, and San Miguel added four. Templeton added two cases, and Shandon added one.
In the South County, Oceano added five new cases. Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach both added three. Nipomo added one case.
In the North Coast area, Morro Bay and Cambria each added one case each.
No new cases were reported in undisclosed parts of the county, while eight new cases remain under investigation.
SLO County coronavirus cases by the numbers
A majority of San Luis Obispo County residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 — 2,183— have completely recovered from the illness.
A total of 445 people are still recovering at home. Of the 16 patients receiving hospital treatment, five patients remain in intensive care units.
In total, 154 patients have been admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19.
A total of 21 county residents have died due to coronavirus, including the person in their 30s who died Friday.
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 682, while the city of San Luis Obispo has 305 coronavirus cases.
Atascadero has 302 cases Nipomo has 297.
Arroyo Grande has 179.
Grover Beach has 126 coronavirus cases, Templeton has 104, San Miguel has 101 and Oceano has 92.
Pismo Beach has 49 cases of coronavirus, while Los Osos has 48 and Morro Bay has 36. Cambria has 31 cases.
Santa Margarita has 23, Shandon has 17 and Cayucos has 13. Avila Beach has seven and San Simeon has six COVID-19 cases.
A total of 241 inmates and 27 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.
Five of the inmates were released while active and 12 inmates have recovered, the CDCR said. (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 eight cases are listed as under investigation.
In total, 490 cases involve people ages 50 to 64, while 217 cases involve people age 65 to 84, and 53 involve people over the age of 85 years old.
According to ReadySLO.org, 105 people over the age of 50 have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 to date.
There are 933 residents aged 30 to 49 who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 713 residents aged 18 to 29 years old. The remaining 259 cases involve people age 17 and younger.
County data shows that a total of 48 coronavirus positive people under the age of 50 have been hospitalized since mid-March.
In total, 1,230 cases were acquired by person-to-person contact, meaning the patient came into contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. A total of 183 cases are travel-related, according to ReadySLO.org.
Another 729 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 523 coronavirus cases are still under investigation by county contact tracers.
San Luis Obispo County public and private health labs have conducted at least 51,809 tests locally. A total of 809 tests were reportedly conducted between Thursday and Friday.
SLO County COVID-19 cases by ethnicity and occupation
The county Health Department added a new category organizing positive COVID-19 cases by ethnicity on ReadySLO.org.
The county reported Wednesday that 1,283 positive COVID-19 cases involved Hispanic or Latino residents, while 941 cases involved non-Hispanic or Latino people.
Another 485 cases are of unknown ethnicity.
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 Latinos 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 542 coronavirus cases involving retired or unemployed people and 406 cases involving craftsmen, construction workers and other skilled labor professions.
A total of 317 cases involve people working in education and child care settings, while 267 involve those in office, management, sales or retail professions. There are 186 cases in food service; 169 cases in the health care and dental care; 120 cases in agriculture and 101 cases in professional, technical and related professions.
A total of 83 cases involve first responders, seven cases involve police officers, and two cases involve veterinarians and other animal health practitioners. The occupations of another 267 positive cases are listed as not specified, and 52 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. 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 21, 2020 at 1:40 PM.
