SLO County Public Health downplays coronavirus concerns
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - The San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department is downplaying concerns of contracting coronavirus on the Central Coast. They are working closely with federal, state and local governments to protect the community's health.
The main message from the SLO County health department is people should remain calm. They said getting the coronavirus is just like getting the flu.
If someone is in good health the chances of dying from it are very low.
“Today we still have no cases, no suspected cases,” said SLO County Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein.
The SLO County Health Department said the chances of getting the virus in the SLO or Santa Barbara counties right now is extremely low.
“The average person is not at risk at the moment. That can change at any time,” said Borenstein.
The health department reports a lot of people do have the flu which can mimic coronavirus symptoms.
“So fever, cough, difficulty breathing, body aches, fatigue, those are the kinds of things that we see with flu and would see with the coronavirus as well,” said Borenstein.
But officials say even if the virus is contracted, the threat is minimal if the person is in generally good health.
“It is appearing to be a mild disease for most people so the message I want to share is people need not panic because of the possibility of community spread,” said Borenstein.
Right now there is not a vaccine for the disease, but researchers are working on it.
“Seems like it might be a little more fear based on our end right now. Just because it's not as prevalent here, but that doesn’t mean that it's not going to start happening around this area too,” said concerned SLO resident Elaina Dente.
Camp Roberts in Northern San Luis Obispo County was previously considered as a place to house coronavirus quarantine, but the plan was abandoned.
“The recommendations for protecting you against any kind of respiratory disease is the same whether it's coronavirus or the common cold,” said Borenstein.
This means doing things such as keeping your distance from people that look sick, washing your hands often, wiping down surfaces and staying home if you are sick.
Health officials say there is a chance the virus could come to the area eventually. But again, it is not deadly as long as the patient is in good health.
