SLO County is asking anyone with coronavirus symptoms to get tested, no matter how mild

The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is urging all residents with coronavirus-like symptoms to get tested for the virus that causes COVID-19.

“We think that perhaps the public has ceased even trying to get a test because early on the message was ‘There aren’t enough tests, there aren’t enough tests,’ ” public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said at a Monday news briefing. “We believe anyone in this county (with symptoms) that wants to get a test can, if they go to the right place.”

San Luis Obispo has had no new coronavirus cases in two of the last three days. But, Borenstein said the county is not in the clear yet and hopes more testing will give a better picture of local cases.

Borenstein said she believes there are more positive coronavirus cases in the community than the county’s numbers have shown.

As of Monday, there have been 95 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“We have been very slowly ticking along these past few days and one of the reasons we think perhaps is that we’re not seeing as much testing as we would like,” Borenstein said.

Borenstein advised that anyone with symptoms that resemble those of coronavirus, even mild symptoms, be tested.

The most common COVID-19 symptoms are a fever, cough and shortness of breath, but Borenstein said the county is now asking providers to test people with symptoms such as sore throat, fatigue, body aches, chills, diarrhea, and in some cases, a runny nose.

“We are really asking our provider community and our urgent care centers to keep doing what they’re doing, to test as much as they can, and to not be dissuaded by people presenting with even these lesser symptoms,” Borenstein said.

Although the county laboratory continues to operate at a maximum of 50 tests per day, the local testing capacity has increased due to private labs.

Locally, the county has conducted 511 tests, with 42 returning positive. The other 53 positive cases were reported by private labs.

Private labs in San Luis Obispo County, however, have only been reporting the number of positive coronavirus cases to the public health department, so the county doesn’t know the total number of local residents tested.

Other counties have received some number of negative tests from private labs, making their number of total reported tested residents higher than San Luis Obispo County.

Santa Barbara has reported around 1,400 tested residents and Monterey has reported around 1,200 tested residents.

Despite a gap in data, Borenstein said San Luis Obispo County is likely testing “at about the same pace.” Borenstein said the county is working to get those numbers.

“I believe that the amount of testing in our county really does not differ from our neighbors,” she said. “Nonetheless, we are going to continue really push with the state and the laboratories to fix what I have been told is a technical issue.”

Increased testing and private labs reporting will provide a more accurate picture of cases in the county to determine when and if there will be a surge, she said.

How to get tested for coronavirus

To get tested, people with symptoms should contact their private health provider.

If you do not have a health care provider, call your local urgent care center, a news release said.

If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and have trouble getting tested, call the Public Health Department at 805-781-5500.

Go to the emergency room only if you are experiencing a medical emergency.

This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 5:00 PM.