Six new cases of coronavirus in SLO County, including two high schoolers

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- San Luis Obispo County officials have announced six new cases of coronavirus in the county.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 27.

Among the six new cases are two high schoool aged individuals according to SLO County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein.

"They are contacts of confirmed cases," said Dr. Borenstein at Sunday's county press briefing. "The confirmed case themselves have traveled, so having that kind of household spread is not at all unanticipated."

Dr. Borenstein was unable to provide any more information about the two high school students.

On Sunday afternoon, parents of Arroyo Grande High School students received an email that said a 10th grader at the school has tested positive for COVID-19.

The email also said students may have been exposed during the week of March 9-13.

It said was not exhibiting any symptoms until after school was closed.

SLO Public Health suggests parents monitor their children's health and if they demonstrate any known symptoms for COVID-19, to contact the department at (805) 781-5500.

Officials first listened the updated total on ReadySLO.org.

According to statistics provided on ReadySLO.org, 12 cases are individuals that reside in the South County, eight are in North County, six on the coast and one case in the center part of the county.

Eighteen of the individuals are between the ages of 19-64, seven of the are 65-years-old or older, and there are now two people between the ages of 0-18.

Twenty-three of the individuals are currently in isolation at home, one is in the hospital, one is listed in intensive care, and two are now listed as recovered.

Seventeen of the cases have been identified as being transmitted by travel, five by person to person, two through community spread and three cases are unknown.

Dr. Borenstein added the county is in the process of obtaining a new "point-of-care" diagnostic test, which would provide results within 45 minutes.

"The company that makes that test is called Cepheid, and we have a contract with them, so that in a good position to try that point-of-care test available sooner, rather than later," said Dr. Borenstein. "We don't know the timeframe at all for that, but we have reached out to the company and making our desire known for that test."

Also at the briefing, SLO County Administrative Officer Wade Horton said the county has contracted with four motels spread out within the area to provide care facilities to homeless that test positive.

He added that county gun shops are allowed to stay open during the current shelter at home order and that county health inspectors will begin to make sure businesses are complying with that order in protecting the public's health.

The inspections are scheduled to begin tomorrow.

Current numbers show the county has performed 275 tests, while an unknown amount of people have been tested through private labs.

For more information about the county's COVID-19 response efforts, including the latest number of cases, people can visit ReadySLO.org.