SLO County patient tests negative for coronavirus
The San Luis Obispo County resident suspected of having coronavirus has tested negative, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department.
According to a news release, the department received laboratory test results Thursday afternoon confirming the resident does not have COVID-19.
The department previously said it was testing the individual “out of an abundance of caution.”
The person, who had mild symptoms, was tested because they met the federal Centers for Disease Control criteria for coronavirus testing, deputy health officer Rick Rosen told The Tribune in a previous report.
The person had been in contact with “travelers from an area with widespread transmission” of the virus who were also mildly ill, but the person had since fully recovered, according to the Public Health Department.
Public Health sent the specimen for testing at the California Department of Public Health Laboratory, which was able to perform the test days sooner than the state had previously stated, according to the Thursday night release. The test results were originally not expected to return until the weekend.
According to the release, the CDC expanded testing capabilities for COVID-19 to state public health laboratories in February, and later to some local public health laboratories. The expanded testing capabilities has resulted in much faster test results in recent days, according to the release.
The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is expected to be able to perform the tests itself within the next two days.
According to public health officer Dr. Penny Borenstein, “The risk to the general public at this moment remains low” and the county “will notify our residents if and when we do have a confirmed case in our county.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 8:03 PM.
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