SLO County adds 9 coronavirus cases — its second highest jump in new patients
San Luis Obispo County added nine new coronavirus cases on Thursday — bringing the total number of local residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 since March to 288, according to ReadySLO.org.
This is the second time in the last three days with a single-day increase of more than six cases. Thursday’s new case count tied as the second-highest single-day increase since the first coronavirus case was reported in San Luis Obispo County in mid-March.
The highest single-day case increase was 14 cases on April 24. The other time the county added nine cases in one day was March 24.
Two of the new cases are in Paso Robles, four are in Nipomo, one is in San Luis Obispo, one is in Templeton and one is in an area with less than five cases.
Three of the newest patients are minors.
It’s now been more than two months since the county Public Health Department announced the first local coronavirus case.
SLO County’s COVID-19 cases by the numbers
Of the 288 local residents who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, 259 have completely recovered from the illness, with three new recoveries reported since Wednesday.
Twenty-four people are still recovering at home, and four patients are receiving hospital treatment; three are in intensive care units.
One local resident has died from COVID-19.
Paso Robles continues to have the most COVID-19 cases in the county with 122. Atascadero has 39 cases, Arroyo Grande has 23 and Nipomo has 26 cases, San Luis Obispo has 19, and California Men’s Colony has 11.
Pismo Beach, San Miguel and Templeton all have nine cases and Morro Bay has six. Other areas — defined as cities or communities with fewer than five cases — have 15 cases altogether.
Seventy-two cases involve people ages 50 to 64, and 49 cases are ages 65 and older.
There are 137 residents aged 18 to 49 who’ve tested positive for COVID-19. The remaining 30 cases involved people ages 17 and younger.
The county has determined the route of transmission for 51 patients was travel related, while 136 were person-to-person contact and 96 have been contracted through community spread.
The county has not determined the route of transmission for five cases.
The private and public health labs have tested more than 11,783 people combined. Between Wednesday and Thursday, 174 people were tested in the county.
The county’s Public Health lab has conducted 3,214 tests with 89 positive results. Private labs have conducted at least 8,569 tests with 199 positive results.
Private labs have reported negative results to the county since April 13.
When and where to get a COVID-19 test
The Paso Robles state-administered coronavirus testing center is closing on Friday, June 5.
Starting June 8, free state testing will be available in San Luis Obispo at 801 Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo on weekdays between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Testing will continue at the Grover Beach location at Ramona Garden Park Center at 993 Ramona Ave. between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays.
Free COVID-19 testing will take place at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1000 Main St. in Cambria, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday, June 1, and Tuesday, June 2.
The Red Barn, 2180 Palisades Avenue in Los Osos, will host free testing at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, and Thursday, June 4.
Testing will also be available at the ECHO parking lot at 6370 Atascadero Ave. in Atascadero from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, and Thursday, June 11.
Register online for appointments at https://www.emergencyslo.org/en/should-i-be-tested.aspx; you can register by phone at 888-634-1123.
In addition, testing is available through private healthcare providers, urgent care centers and the County Public Health Lab.
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest public health updates and recommendations.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 2:01 PM.
