San Diego County Reports 278 Cases of COVID-19, Two More Deaths

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego County public health officials reported

278 new COVID-19 infections and two additional deaths related to the illness

today, raising the region's totals to 45,425 cases and 767 deaths.

The county's total cases crossed the 45,000 mark Tuesday, and on

Wednesday another milestone was reached when the total number of tests reported

topped one million.

Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer, thanked agencies

and businesses contributing to testing numbers and said the county would

maintain its priority testing for those showing symptoms of the illness.

``Our goal is to test the right people that need to be tested in San

Diego County,'' she said.

With an average of 8,241 daily tests over the past week, the number of

tests returning positive is 3.6% of the total over the last 14 days. The

county narrowly avoiding being dropped to the dreaded ``purple'' tier of COVID-

19 reopening Tuesday, with 6.9 new daily cases per 100,000 population, just 0.1

away from the state's most restrictive tier.

San Diego County will remain in the red tier at least until next

Tuesday, according to state officials.

Of the total COVID-19 cases in the county, 3,450 have been

hospitalized with another 813 spending some time in an intensive care unit.

According to county data, 61.5% of those hospitalized with the illness

have been Hispanic or Latino, even as that ethnic group represents around

35% of the county's population. By comparison, 23.3% of those hospitalized have

been white, 7.2% Asian and 5.8% Black.

No new community outbreaks were reported Wednesday, bringing the

number over the past week to 13, tied to 73 cases.

The number of community outbreaks remains above the trigger of seven

or more in seven days. A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more

COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households over the past

14 days.

Even as San Diego County grapples with COVID-19, Wooten warned

residents to be prepared for another health threat: influenza.

Last flu season the county reported 108 deaths from the illness.

Health officials are concerned that a combination of flu season and the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic could place stress on the health care system. Wooten

encouraged residents to be safe, but to get a flu vaccine.

``The same strategies to avoid COVID-19 work for the flu,'' she said.

``The difference is that we do not have a vaccine for the coronavirus, but we

do for the flu.''

The news Tuesday that San Diego will stay in the red tier comes as

somewhat of a surprise after increasing COVID-19 numbers appeared to set the

county on a path toward slipping into that most restrictive tier -- which would

shutter indoor operations for restaurants, movie theaters, houses of worship

and gyms, limit retail businesses to just 25% capacity and have major impacts

on indoor business for most other industries until the county can improve its

numbers.

In related events, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-1 to

support efforts by Wooten ``for the adjudication and revised reopening criteria

to accurately reflect the dynamics of the pandemic in San Diego County.''

Supervisor Jim Desmond made the proposal toward the end of a special

meeting -- which included a COVID-19 update from Wooten -- on possible options

to state policy.

Desmond first proposed sending a formal letter from the board to Gov.

Gavin Newsom to once again ask for local control. Supervisor Dianne Jacob said

she didn't know what good another letter would do. Jacob said she learned that

COVID is the seventh-leading cause of death in San Diego County, and ``that's

not a good thing. This is not going away.''

Supervisor Nathan Fletcher cast the lone no vote, saying the county

``ought to just focus on tackling COVID.''

Before voting, the board also heard from members of the public, most

of whom urged caution about opening up the county too quickly.

Desmond on Monday held a rally in favor of opening up all businesses.

On the same day, Fletcher held a public event encouraging county residents to

continue the fight against the virus.

The board has met multiple times in the last few days to discuss its

options.

Newsom rejected a county effort to discount the positive tests

recorded by San Diego State University since the semester began.

The data released Tuesday did factor in SDSU cases. The push to

exclude them was an unlikely gambit because SDSU is located in a highly

residential neighborhood in the heart of the city.

Despite the good news about remaining in the red tier, the county is

hovering on the brink of being downgraded. State rules require a county be

above one of the two metrics -- daily case rate by population and positive test

rate -- for two consecutive weeks before it can be moved.

To move down to less restrictive tiers, both of those metrics must be

below state guidelines for two consecutive weeks. Should the county be placed

in the purple tier, it would have to wait a minimum of three weeks before

moving back to less restrictive tiers.

Testing capacity at the SDSU Alumni Center at 5250 55th St. has been

expanded from 500 to 1,000 tests a day and will be open to the public, students

and university staff. The no-appointment site will offer testing from 8:30 a.m.

to 4 p.m. through Friday.

SDSU has reported 914 confirmed or probable cases, including four

reports of faculty or staff who have tested positive. Of those, 574 are off-

campus cases.