SD County reports 3,815 new COVID-19 infections as hospitalizations increase

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

3,815 new COVID-19 infections and 37 deaths today, as well as a record number

of hospitalizations.

The new cases mark the third-highest number of infections reported in

a single day, behind a record 4,478 cases reported Friday and 4,427 on

Saturday, and the 37th consecutive day with more than 1,000 new diagnoses.

Cases have crossed the 2,000 mark in 27 of the last 28 days after

Tuesday's 1,814 broke a 26-day streak. The 3,000 mark has been crossed 11 times

since the start of the pandemic.

Hospitalizations resulting from the virus rose to a record 1,664 on

Wednesday. Of those, 384 COVID-19 patients are in intensive care units. The

number of available, staffed ICU beds in the county dwindled to 39.

County health officials attribute the increasing number of cases,

hospitalizations and deaths to gatherings over the holidays and the presence of

the new coronavirus variant known as B.1.1.7. that was first detected in the

United Kingdom.

Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said it's likely the number of

hospitalizations will continue to increase, as we're in the 21-24 day ``lag''

period between rising cases and rising hospitalizations.

The county's cumulative cases now number 176,662 and the death toll

rose to 1,691. Of 26,320 tests reported Wednesday, 14% returned positive.

Kaiser Permanente San Diego began delivering second doses of COVID-19

vaccinations this week for the first health care workers who met ``Phase 1a"

criteria for vaccination at Kaiser's two hospital locations -- the San Diego

and Zion Medical Centers.

``This is a big milestone. We're encouraged by this protection for our

workforce and await the arrival of additional vaccine that can be

distributed per the CDC guidelines," said Dr. Michael Lalich, Kaiser Permanente

San Diego's area medical director.

``We are committed to educating our communities about the safety and

effectiveness of the vaccine. We want everyone to understand how getting a

vaccine, along with the simple public measures already in place -- wearing

masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing -- will help to bring an end

to this pandemic."

The county reported 24 confirmed diagnoses of the more virulent strain

of the virus on Tuesday, bringing the county's confirmed cases of the

variant to 28. The cases were confirmed by whole genome sequencing and the four

probable cases are directly linked to the confirmed cases and have positive

diagnostic nucleic acid tests, but are not yet sequenced.

There have been no deaths locally connected to the variant.

The variant was first found in the United States last week in

Colorado. The first San Diego case was confirmed in a man in his 30s with no

history of travel, who first became symptomatic Dec. 27 and tested positive

Dec. 29. He was hospitalized and contact tracing was initiated.

The 24 newly confirmed patients are believed to have no travel history

and come from 19 different households, but the investigation and contact

tracing are ongoing, the county's Health and Human Services Agency reported.

New cases have been identified in San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa and

Lakeside. While the four youngest cases are in children under 10 and the oldest

is over 70, the average age of the variant cases is 36 -- the same as the

overall average for all confirmed cases in the county to date.

``The fact that these cases have been identified in multiple parts of

the region shows that this strain of the virus could be rapidly spreading,''

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

Hours after being elected chair of the Board of Supervisors, Nathan

Fletcher and fellow board member Nora Vargas on Tuesday night announced a plan

to revamp the board's approach toward managing and helping defeat the pandemic.

Fletcher said he will present the new, overarching COVID-19

``framework'' next Tuesday, which he said would override previous ``actions and

statements that contradict having a response based on data and science'';

prioritize funding based on a ``data-driven approach to targeted communities of

need, taking into account health equity''; stress working ``collaboratively

instead of antagonistically with the state''; and pledge that the county will

``rely on data, science and (rational) decision-making to keep us safe.''