5 things to know about testing for COVID-19 in SLO County
When a San Luis Obispo girl with symptoms similar to the coronavirus was denied access to COVID-19 testing in March, she quarantined from her family and her father stayed home from essential work to prevent potential spread of the virus.
That might not have been necessary.
The ability to test whether the virus is active in the body can help residents make informed decisions about their health. Lack of access to testing can have real and direct impacts, not only to residents, but to larger public health decisions.
Both Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan and the county’s guide to begin reopening businesses and public spaces rest heavily on the ability to track new cases. But, access to testing has been limited so far.
That’s starting to change, as the state works toward opening 86 new testing clinics throughout the state, including new clinics in Paso Robles and Grover Beach.
Meanwhile, public demand has grown for testing beyond whether the virus is active to testing for antibodies and potential immunity.
Here’s what you need to know about what testing is and isn’t available in SLO County, and why it matters.
What kind of testing is available?
There are two kinds of COVID-19 tests: A nasal swab used to test whether the virus is currently active, and a blood test to determine whether the person has had the virus that causes COVID-19.
Right now, the only testing available in San Luis Obispo County is to determine whether a person currently has the virus.
Who can get tested?
New public testing clinics in Grover Beach and Paso Robles will provide free testing by appointment to the following groups of people, according to health officials, regardless of whether they have health insurance:
- Healthcare workers and first responders
- Residents 65 and older, or any age with chronic medical conditions
- Residents or employees of congregate care living facilities
- Workers in essential jobs, which includes utilities, grocery, food supply, and public employees
- Anyone exhibiting one or more symptoms of COVID-19
Register online at emergencySLO.org/en/state-sponsored-testing-sites or by phone at 888-634-1123.
Access to testing is generally prioritized for people experiencing known symptoms of the coronavirus even if those symptoms are mild. Symptoms include, fever, dry cough, chills, muscle pain, sore throat and new loss of smell.
Looking forward, the county will evaluate testing capacity each week with the goal of expanding testing availability to all community members.
Some private medical practices are limited by a lack of testing kits or personal protective equipment, while other offices have tested more people, including those without symptoms.
For example, Primary Care Partners in San Luis Obispo began testing on March 13, as soon as the local labs said they could run samples.
“From day one we were testing people with mild symptoms or no symptoms and concern for exposure. We did this from day one, because of cases of asymptomatic/pre-symptomatic spread,” Dr. Andrea Angelucci told The Tribune.
While Dr. Stephen Sigmund in Templeton told The Tribune he provides testing to existing patients who have symptoms or have been exposed to a confirmed case, his testing is limited by PPE and what labs are able to supply.
“WestPac Usually gives us a maximum of five tests with each order, and they are usually able to drop them off once or twice a week,” Sigmund said.
How many have been tested in SLO County?
At least 3,400 tests have been performed in San Luis Obispo County, but data is incomplete.
At the public health lab, 1,600 tests have been performed. The lab generally processes around 10 to 25 tests per day, but testing increased some days when more vulnerable groups were exposed to the virus.
For example, when a skilled-nursing facility employee tested positive for coronavirus, the county tested all of the facility’s employees and residents. There was also a spike in testing in response to several California Men’s Colony inmates testing positive for the virus.
Private health labs, which are less restricted in who they test, have conducted at least 1,845 tests since April 13.
The number of tests performed before that date is unavailable because of what Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said was a “technical issue, in terms of the electronic laboratory reporting system.”
It’s not known what portion of the public needs to be tested to appropriately guide public health decisions. However, a Harvard Global Health Institute recommendation aims for 152 tests a day for every 100,000 residents.
That’s about 425 daily tests in SLO County, much higher than what is accomplished currently.
Over the past two weeks, an average 600 residents have been tested a week across the county Public Health Laboratory, hospital-based laboratories and commercial laboratories.
Beginning the first week of May, public clinics will increase capacity for testing by an additional 1,320 residents, county officials say. Next, the county will add an additional 200 to 250 tests a week through a partnership with U.S. Health Fairs and the state Publc Health.
“All told, these efforts will yield testing capability of over 300 residents daily,” public health officials say.
How has mass testing worked elsewhere?
Drive-through testing in South Korea has been fast and free since mid-March, according to several reports, and the country is often cited for its approach to reduce community spread.
Using mass testing to trace, track and contain the virus, South Korea was able to rapidly reduce the number of daily confirmed cases and flatten the curve without strict shelter orders. Residents were offered free tests within a 10-minute wait time at drive-through testing clinics and results were provided within 24 hours.
In addition, a new study about how South Korea managed an outbreak in an office building demonstrates the public health benefits of a swift, targeted response to the virus that would allow businesses to continue operating. Officials were able to reduce risk of community spread by quickly closing the building and selectively isolating and repeatedly testing people who were exposed.
South Korea has more people than California and fewer cases of COVID-19. As of May 4, there were about 11,000 cases confirmed in the country with a population of 51.6 million. While California reported more than 52,000 cases with a population of about 40 million.
Several areas in the United States have scaled-up testing, including in Utah, as a strategy to trace and track cases to flatten the curve.
When will SLO County get an antibody test or immunity test?
Demand for antibody testing has grown in San Luis Obispo County, as residents want to know if they are immune to the disease.
Blood tests able to detect whether a person has previously had COVID-19 are not yet available at public labs in the county. Health officials warn residents to be wary of direct-to-consumer tests because they aren’t FDA approved, and because health officials don’t yet know how long immunity to the coronavirus lasts.
Large-scale antibody testing can be beneficial in shaping public health response to the pandemic.
Some cities in California such as Los Angeles and Santa Clara have begun clinical trials using an antibody test, but it will not be available in San Luis Obispo County any time soon.
The Center for Disease Control says the purpose of the studies are to gather research needed to guide the future response to the new coronavirus. It is not meant to simply test all people who want to know if they previously had COVID-19.
The county is in communication with state and national public health officials about the tests, but it’s not clear when, or if, San Luis Obispo County will receive them.
“We very much want to get to the place where we can do that type of broad antibody testing, but we are not there yet,” Borenstein said April 13.
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 4:01 PM.
