Fallbrook reports 226 coronavirus cases

The San Diego County COVID-19 total sat a little short of the 24,000 mark as of July 20 after county public health officials reported 1,193 cases over the weekend.

Health officials reported 568 new cases July 19 but no new deaths, raising the county total to 23,682 cases while the death count remained at 478. The county reported 625 new cases Saturday, July 18.

Of the 8,943 tests reported July 19, 6% were positive new cases. The 14- day rolling average is now 6%. The state's target is below 8% positive test rate.

Three new community outbreaks were identified July 18. In the past

seven days, 16 community outbreaks were identified. The number of community outbreaks remains more than double the trigger of seven or more in seven days.

A community outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households.

Of the total positive cases, 2,180 or 9.4% have been hospitalized and 567 or 2.5% of cases have been admitted to an intensive care unit.

In Fallbrook, the number of positive coronavirus cases has jumped in the last week by more than three dozen cases. A total of 226 coronavirus cases, or 461.1 cases per 100,000, have been recorded in Fallbrook’s 92028 ZIP code as of press time July 14.

A week ago, Fallbrook had 181 coronavirus cases, which represented an increase of only 22 cases from a week before that, and 374.9 cases per 100,000.

A month ago, Fallbrook had the 14th-lowest infection rate out of any ZIP code in the county, with only 63 recorded cases, but its infection rate more than doubled between June 23 and July 7

As of July 21, the 92028 ZIP code was roughly in the middle of the county’s distribution of coronavirus infection rates; it has the 41st-highest number of cases per 100,000, and the 38th-lowest, out of the ZIP codes the county estimates infection rates for.

Bonsall’s 92003 ZIP code also saw an increase in coronavirus cases. It is now reporting 25 positive cases, up from 19 a week ago. The county still cannot estimate an infection rate for Bonsall because of the low number of cases and low population.

A record of 157.2 of every 100,000 San Diegans are testing positive for the illness as of Sunday's data, well above the state's criterion of 100 per 100,000.

And while San Ysidro has long been the hardest-hit part of the county in terms of per capita infections, with upward of 2 out of every 100 residents now having tested positive for the virus, other parts of the county are catching up. ZIP codes in Spring Valley, National City, Chula Vista, El Cajon, and in San Diego neighborhoods including City Heights, Barrio Logan, Encanto and others, are all reporting infection rates of more than 1 in 100.

The last metric the county has failed to maintain is the percentage of cases that have been handled by a contact investigator within 24 hours of it being reported.

There are more than 500 investigators employed by the county, and although 98% of all cases had been investigated in that time frame as recently as June 25, that rate dropped to a dismal 7% as of Saturday. The county metric is to reach 71% of new cases in a day's span.

Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County's public health officer, said in response to these flagging rates, the county is attempting to hire more contact investigators. In just a three-hour period after the job posting went online Wednesday, more than 300 applications came in.

The number of cases continues to rise in people between the ages of 20 and 49 and particularly in people in their 20s, prompting the county to make efforts at educating younger people.

Residents between 20- and 29-years old account for 25% of the county's cases, the highest percentage of any age group, according to county data. The next highest group is residents between 30 and 39 years old, representing 19.1% of cases.

“While it's true that the mortality for younger people is lower, it's also true that the rate is not zero,'' said Dr. Scott Eisman, pulmonologist at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas. “The complications from this illness are far greater, much longer lasting and far more serious than the flu.”

Eisman said in studies of the outbreaks of SARS and MERS – other coronaviruses – people who had the disease and showed symptoms sometimes didn't regain original lung capacity until a year or longer after the symptoms began.

“All indications lead us to expect it to be at least as serious as those diseases and much more aggressive,” he said, adding that even otherwise healthy people could see months of complications from the illness.

Eisman also said heart attacks, strokes and serious blood clots were increasing among younger people confirmed to have COVID-19.

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club canceled its racing program for Saturday and Sunday after 15 jockeys recently tested positive for COVID-19. Racing is slated to resume July 24.

Will Fritz can be reached by email at [email protected].

City News Service contributed to this report.