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Six in 10 adult San Diegans face severe impacts if they contract COVID-19

Six out of every 10 adult San Diegans are at extra risk for severe illness should they contract the novel coronavirus.

That’s because about 57% of San Diego County adults have pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart and lung disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

San Diegans with underlying chronic conditions are at increased risks of serious outcomes if they contract COVID-19, requiring to be hospitalized, placed in intensive care or worse, dying.

To date, 95% of San Diegans who died from COVID-19 had underlying medical conditions.

“COVID-19 deaths can be prevented,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “It’s important to remember that our actions matter. We must all do all we can to prevent from contracting and spreading the virus.”

It’s true that younger San Diegans with COVID-19 typically don’t need to be hospitalized, that is not the case for older adults. Of the 2,459 people who were hospitalized due to COVID-19, about 52% were 60 years of age or older.

“Some San Diegans think they’re not going to get sick and therefore are not following the public health guidance,” said Wooten. “What they don’t realize is that they could get infected and pass the virus to others who are vulnerable.”

Based on new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the county announced July 27 that it is no longer recommended that employers require employees who tested positive for COVID-19 to be tested again before they can return to work.

The CDC test-based strategy is no longer recommended to determine when to discontinue home isolation, except in certain circumstances.

People with COVID-19 who have mild to moderate symptoms and were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:

· At least 10 days have passed since symptoms began, have not had a fever for 24 hours without taking fever reducing medications and other symptoms have resolved.

· A limited number of people who have severe or critical illness or are severely immunocompromised are recommended to wait 20 days after symptoms developed and one day after fever resolution and improving symptoms.

· People who are severely immunocompromised but have no symptoms can leave isolation after 20 days after testing positive.

· People who tested positive for the novel coronavirus but never developed symptoms can stop isolation and other precautions 10 days after the date of their first diagnostic positive test virus.

“Employers do not need to follow the test-based strategy for their employees to go back to work,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “Employers must ensure that employees have met the new criteria to be released from isolation.”

 

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