COVID-19 Update: 114 cases reported in the county, 95-recovered 

–The County of San Luis Obispo has reported 114 positive cases of COVID-19. 95 people have fully recovered. Two people remain in the ICU. One person has died from the virus. So far there has been an 83-percent recovery rate among the patients.

The curve does appear to still be “flattening,” according to county health officials. As of last week, county officials said that they would begin creating a “roadmap to transition,” that will help some businesses in the county get “back to normal as soon as possible, while still slowing the spread of the virus.”

The San Luis Obispo County Health Department has been live-streaming press conferences on their Facebook page on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3:15. Click here to see their page, “follow” to be reminded when they go live. The latest information regarding the ongoing mitigation efforts and the “roadmap to recovery” will be shared at the next press conference.

Distribution of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County

• Paso Robles reported COVID-19 cases: 30
• Atascadero reported COVID-19 cases: 22
• Arroyo Grande reported COVID-19 cases: 16
• City of San Luis Obispo reported COVID-19 cases: 10
• Morro Bay reported COVID-19 cases: 6
• Templeton reported COVID-19 cases: 7
• Nipomo reported COVID-19 cases: 7
• Pismo Beach reported COVID-19 cases: 5
• Other San Luis Obispo County reported COVID-19 cases: 11

Ages of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County

• Age 0-17 years old – 5
• Age 18-49 years old – 43
• Age 50 – 64 years  – 33
• Age 65 and older – 33

Cases of COVID-19 by status in San Luis Obispo County

• At home – 16
• Hospitalized – 2 (in ICU)
• Recovered – 95
• Deaths – 1

Source of transmission of COVID-19 cases in San Luis Obispo County

• Travel related transmission – 40
• Known person-to-person transmission – 40
• Unknown community-acquired transmission – 34
• Unknown – 0

Number of people tested for COVID-19 in San Luis Obispo County

As of Sunday, the county reports conducting 716 COVID-19 tests. An unknown number of residents have been tested by private labs, the county reports. In addition, 68 cases have been detected at private labs. Private labs doing testing include WestPac Labs, Quest Diagnostics, Pacific Diagnostic Laboratories, LabCorp, VRDL.

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

About the author: News Staff

News staff of the A-Town Daily News wrote and edited this article from local contributors and press releases. Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Connect with him on Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog. He can be reached at [email protected].