Details on COVID-19 cases confirmed in SLO County
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.-
There have been two confirmed coronavirus cases in San Luis Obispo County.
The SLO County Public Health Director Penny Bornestein said this was expected and ask people not to panic. She emphasized that the majority of those that contract the virus experience only mild symptoms.
She also said the only reason the state and federal governments are responding to it the way they are is not that it is more deadly then past viruses we have seen but because of the rate at which it is spreading.
The two confirmed coronavirus diagnosis have been made in south and north SLO County.
The SLO County Health Department says both people are at home recovering and doing well.
“The first individual is above the age of 65 and has underlying medical conditions. The second individual lives in south county and was also diagnosed as an outpatient,” said the Public SLO County Health Director Dr. Penny Bornestein.
There is no indication that there was any contact between the two people diagnosed with the virus.
“We very much want the public not to panic because we now have two cases... we will have many more. We knew that this would happen,” said Bornestein.
Again, Bornestein emphasized the vast majority of cases are of mild impact to the person with the virus. She said it has only become a national pandemic because of the rate at which it is spreading.
She noted in the past the public has been exposed to different strains of similar viruses that some people could fight off or not be affected by because the virus contained proteins that had previously been introduced to the population. But with the coronavirus it's a new strain of virus our society has never seen or come into contact with before, meaning no one is immune.
“Unlike SARS and MURS there are many many more cases and it is spreading far and wide around the world. It is not as deadly as those, which are other coronaviruses,” said Bornestein
She also said the coronavirus has no treatment making it more troublesome than other viruses.
But there is some good news...
“It is a virus that we have seen before with common colds. And therefore we are happy this does not seem to be as great a killer as some of the other organisms we have seen like with SARS and MURS which have much higher fatality rates,” said Bornestein.
If someone feels they need to be tested they should see their doctor.
The SLO County Health Department ask people not to show up to the health department, as they will need a physician referral first to get tested.
“Our priority is for hospitalized patients,” said Bornestein.
