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COVID-19 cases rise in San Diego County

Kim Harris

Managing Editor

The number of COVID-19 cases over the past week continues to rise in San Diego County, according to data released by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.

San Diego County residents are being urged to avoid emergency rooms for COVID-19 testing, amid increases in both hospitalizations and staffing shortages exacerbated by the surge in coronavirus infections. Public health officials are now urging residents to only seek testing for the illness, if necessary, as the number of COVID-positive patients in San Diego County hospitals continues to climb at a quicker pace than any other time in the pandemic, according to the latest state figures.

According to county data, in the past month, confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped from around 4,700 per week to more than 45,000 cases reported in the seven days between Dec. 29, 2021, and Jan. 4, 2022. That is nearly a tenfold increase in just 30 days.

Some COVID-positive patients may have been hospitalized for other reasons and had their COVID status discovered by hospital-mandated tests.

“We're now seeing the highest local case counts of the pandemic. COVID-19 is everywhere,” Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer, said last week. “The best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 is to have as much

immunity as possible and to take other precautions that we know work.”

Numbers continue to climb

According to numbers released Saturday, Jan. 8, since Jan. 1, the number of coronavirus patients in San Diego County hospitals surged from 590 to 943 and the number of those patients in intensive care increased by 55 to 169. Since Jan. 4, the county also logged an additional 39 virus-related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,500. COVID-19 hospitalizations have also more than doubled in the past 30 days, putting a strain on local hospitals that are contending with hundreds of employees unable to work after contracting the virus, officials said.

Due to HIPPA laws, it remains unclear if any of those who died from COVID-19 had any underlying health conditions. Fatalities are trailing indicators due to delays in processing death certificates which can go back weeks, according to health officials.

According to numbers reported by HHSA, the aggregate number of COVID-19 cases recorded in the county increased by more than 57,000 since Jan. 1, reaching 477,211 total cases, as of press time.

Delta remains the most common variant in San Diego County, with more than 17,000 cases reported since mid-April. Omicron has just 91 confirmed cases in the county, but the time period measured began Dec. 3. There have been no deaths from Omicron reported in the county and one hospitalization, the county HHSA reported.

Local numbers continue to rise

In Fallbrook, which has had 4,245 total cases, the current case rate is up from 15.4 cases a week to 32. Bonsall is trending a bit higher with 454 total cases and up from 18.1 cases per week to 44.9, according to HHSA data.

The increase in cases prompted the state to extend a statewide mask mandate that was due to expire Jan. 15.

The mandate, which requires people to wear masks in indoor public settings will remain in place until at least Feb. 15, the state's Health and Human Services secretary announced Wednesday, Jan. 5. Among the indoor public spaces affected are retail stores, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers and government offices that serve the public.

Colleges go virtual, again

In other COVID news, San Diego State leaders announced Wednesday, Jan. 5, that SDSU would begin its spring semester virtually.

The semester, scheduled to start Jan. 19, will remain virtual through at least Feb. 4. Return to in-person instruction is scheduled for Feb. 7.

All students, faculty and staff eligible for the COVID-19 booster will be required to have their booster on file in HealthConnect by Jan. 18 to be considered fully vaccinated, according to guidelines announced last month by the California State University system. The Jan. 18 deadline remains in place, SDSU said.

SDSU campuses will remain open during the two-week virtual period, but nearly all classes and labs will remain remote with a few in-person exceptions.

Additionally, SDSU asked residential students to delay returning to campus until Feb. 5 or Feb. 6 if they are able to do so. However, on-campus housing will continue to be open as scheduled for students who are unable to delay their return.

UC San Diego began a planned two weeks of remote-only classes Monday, Jan. 3, in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Students and faculty, regardless of vaccination status, are required to complete a COVID-19 test on the day they return to campus for winter quarter. People who are not vaccinated and those who are vaccinated but have not received a booster shot are required to test for the virus two times per week, between three and five days apart.

Remote-only instruction also began Monday at other University of California campuses.

CDC adjust quarantine times

In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that people diagnosed with COVID-19 should isolate for “five days, and if they are asymptomatic or their symptoms are resolving without a fever for 24 hours, follow that by five days of wearing a mask when around others to minimize the risk of infecting people they encounter.”

The CDC also updated the recommended quarantine period for anyone in the “general public who has been exposed to COVID-19.”

For people who are unvaccinated, those who are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose or those who are more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and have not yet received a booster shot, the CDC recommended quarantine for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional five days.

“Alternatively, if a five-day quarantine is not feasible, it is imperative that an exposed person wear a well-fitting mask at all times when around others for 10 days after exposure,” the CDC said.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Kim Harris can be reached by email at [email protected].

 

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