COVID-19: San Luis Obispo County reports 102 cases, sees flattening of growth curve
–On Thursday, April 8, the County of San Luis Obispo updated the community on the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, 102 local residents have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The county reports that 73 local patients have now recovered from the virus, three are hospitalized in intensive care units, and 25 are at home.
More than half of the cases in SLO County are in the North County area. There are 57 cases in North San Luis Obispo County, 29 cases in Paso Robles, 20 cases in Atascadero, and six cases in Templeton.
By Thursday morning, there were at least 19,063 cases and 507 deaths in the State of California and 432,554 cases and 14,829 deaths in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Penny Borenstein.
“We are seeing a flattening of our curve,” said SLO County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein at a county press conference on Thursday afternoon. The goal of the Shelter at Home order is to slow the spread of the disease so that county medical services can be prepared to handle new cases. It appears to be working, she said. “We’re doing the hard work now so we can get back to normal.”
There are still reports of pockets of teenagers and others ignoring the social distancing guidelines, but it seems to be working overall, she said. Even if while out on a run with a friend, stay on the opposite side of the street, keep your distance, she said. “Don’t gather in groups.”
Borenstein said the county’s number of cases is so limited that modeling the peak of cases is difficult. “It will come sooner, rather than later,” she said. But could not say if it will be in the next week or two, as California officials expect for the state.
With Passover starting Thursday night, and Easter on Sunday, Borenstein asked residents to celebrate their religious holidays while maintaining physical distancing.
County Administrative Officer Wade Horton announced that the recreation areas at Santa Margarita Lake and Lopez Lake will limit the number of entries this weekend by half.
Distribution of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County
- Paso Robles reported COVID-19 cases: 29
- Atascadero reported COVID-19 cases: 20
- Arroyo Grande reported COVID-19 cases: 14
- City of San Luis Obispo reported COVID-19 cases: 8
- Morro Bay reported COVID-19 cases: 6
- Templeton reported COVID-19 cases: 6
- Nipomo reported COVID-19 cases: 6
- Other San Luis Obispo County reported COVID-19 cases: 13
Ages of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County
- Age 0-17 years old – 4
- Age 18-49 years old – 40
- Age 50 – 64 years – 28
- Age 65 and older – 30
Cases of COVID-19 by status in San Luis Obispo County
- At home – 25
- Hospitalized – 3 in ICU
- Recovered – 73
- Deaths – 1
Source of transmission of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County
- Travel related transmission – 35
- Known person-to-person transmission – 36
- Unknown community-acquired transmission – 27
- Unknown – 4
Number of people tested for COVID-19 in San Luis Obispo County
As of Thursday, the county reports conducting 570 COVID-19 tests. An unknown number of residents have been tested by private labs, the county reports. Private labs doing testing include WestPac Labs, Quest Diagnostics, Pacific Diagnostic Laboratories, LabCorp, VRDL.
Melissa James, CEO of Reach, speaking Thursday afternoon at a county press conference.
Local leaders begin Central Coast Economic Relief Efforts
Communities and households across the Central Coast are facing severe economic hardships as we try to overcome this COVID-19 crisis, and economic relief is on the way.
Local public and private leaders from both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties have come together as an informal coalition to provide economic relief. Resources as a result of this work can be found at www.RecoverCentralCoast.org.
“Local employers have had to furlough or lay off workers, and residents are struggling to make ends meet,” said Wade Horton, County of San Luis Obispo’s Administrative Officer and Emergency Services Director. “But we are resilient, and we will get through these difficult economic challenges together.”
The County of San Luis Obispo and REACH, formerly The Hourglass Project, are leading a regional economic relief effort in partnership with cities, chambers, and community partners. RecoverCentralCoast.org is the first step the coalition is taking in working together to bring economic relief and recovery to the region. The website, which helps centralize and simplify access to economic relief resources region-wide, is being developed by local governments, Chambers of Commerce, Visit SLO CAL, Economic Vitality Corporation, higher education, local Workforce Development Boards, and local businesses.
“We are one region, and we need to have one united voice, one coordinated response to the significant challenges facing the lives and livelihood of the people of the Central Coast,” said REACH CEO Melissa James. “The first of many actions of this coalition is to bring access to economic relief resources all in one place”
RecoverCentralCoast.org is a dynamic tool being developed by a network of public and private partners. It will make available the most relevant information and resources for our local employers and workforce and currently includes tax relief resources, information about State and Federal stimulus funding, workforce training resources and local job opportunities. With new developments every day, this team will continuously monitor, evaluate and streamline resources to make them available in a central location.
Recent SLO County COVID-19 coronavirus updates
- SLO County Alternative Care Site at Cal Poly set to open today
- Local testing capacity increased – Get tested and limit spread of disease
- Paso Robles City Council meets virtually to discuss ongoing COVID-19 crisis
- City of Paso Robles surveying residents about COVID-19 impacts
- Local businesses creates ‘Paso pizza night’ photo contest
- New rules to lower jail population, suspend evictions and foreclosures
- COVID-19: Broader symptoms released by county health department
Gov. Gavin Newsom
Governor issues order to help state procure medical supplies
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an executive order to help the state procure necessary medical supplies to fight COVID-19.
A copy of the Governor’s executive order can be found here.
Governor signs order to expand support for vulnerable populations
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that provides additional support for older adults and vulnerable young children.
The order will allow for a 60-day waiver for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program caseworkers to continue their work and be able to care for older adults, as well as individuals with disabilities.
A copy of the Governor’s executive order can be found here.
CDC recommends wearing of cloth face coverings, masks
“We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms,” the US Centers for Disease Control said in a statement over the weekend.
This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus. CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.
The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.
This recommendation complements and does not replace the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America, 30 Days to Slow the Spreadexternal icon, which remains the cornerstone of our national effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. CDC will make additional recommendations as the evidence regarding appropriate public health measures continues to develop.
See related: Let’s all do our part and cover our mouths and noses in public
What is the cause of COVID-19 transmission?
–Transmission of the COVID-19 virus appears to be caused by close and prolonged contact, Borenstein said. The greater the illness has affected someone, the more likely they are to transmit it to other people, she said. Asymptomatic transmission, if occurring at all, is a minor proportion of infections, she said. Airborne infection appears to be limited to someone infected who coughs or sneezes and vapor droplets may linger for a short period of time. But neither asymptomatic transmission nor airborne transmission appear to be a dominant means of transmission, she said. The virus does tend to transfer well with human contacts, like shaking hands, and linger on hard surfaces, studies have shown.
How people can protect themselves
Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:
- Staying home except for essential activities – “Shelter at home“
- Washing hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover a cough or sneeze with your sleeve, or disposable tissue. Wash your hands afterward.
- Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
- Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
- Practicing social distancing.
- Following guidance from public health officials.
What to do if you think you’re sick
Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or shortness of breath) and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19, or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.
San Luis Obispo County’s urgent communicable disease line is (805) 781-4553.
- Follow all local COVID-19 coronavirus news updates
- San Luis Obispo County COVID-19 website – readyslo.org
