County Reports Record Deaths as More Local Cases of New COVID-19 Strain Confirmed | New

by



[ad_1]

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reports a record number of new deaths from COVID-19. The 62 deaths reported today far exceed the previous one-day high of 39 deaths reported on December 22.

Meanwhile, whole genome sequencing has detected three new cases of the UK variant of COVID-19, also known as B.1.1.7., Beyond yesterday’s report.

The three newly confirmed variant cases reported today were initially identified by Helix in diagnostic testing and then confirmed by whole genome sequencing by Scripps Research.

The new cases of the British strain have been found in men, two in their forties and one in their fifties. Contact tracing shows two men have not traveled outside the county while the third case has yet to be fully questioned. None of the men had a known interaction with each other or with the other confirmed case.

A domestic contact from the first room B.1.1.7. strain case reported yesterday was hospitalized for COVID-19, with whole genome sequencing pending.

Discovery of the additional cases leads county health officials to believe the new strain of the virus is widespread in the community. The four people who tested positive for B.1.1.7. live in La Mesa, Mission Beach, Otay Mesa and the Carmel Mountain / Rancho Bernardo area.

“We believe that many other cases of B. 1.1.7. The strain will be confirmed in the coming days and weeks, ”said Eric McDonald, MD, MPH, medical director of the county’s Epidemiology and Immunization Services Division. “This strain of the virus has been reported to spread more easily in the UK and therefore it is crucial that now, more than ever in this pandemic, we follow public health orders and protect each other.

In light of the high number of cases and the new strain detected in the area, county health officials are urging San Diegans to:

  • wash your hands
  • Wear a mask
  • Keep your distance from others and only leave your home for essential activities
  • If you are sick, get tested, then stay home and isolate yourself

ICU capacity and order of stay at home:

  • The current availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds for the Southern California area is now 0.0% and will be updated daily by the state.
  • the Regional stay-at-home order is in effect and prohibits gatherings of any size with people from other households and adds restrictions for several areas.
  • The order will last until the region’s ICU availability reaches or exceeds 15%.

Community-based epidemics:

  • 12 new community outbreaks were confirmed on December 30: three in health care facilities, two in commercial facilities, two in emergency services facilities, two in faith-based facilities, one in a processing facility of food / beverage, one in a TK-12 school setting and one in a child care / preschool / daycare setting.
  • In the past seven days (December 24 to December 30), 59 community outbreaks have been confirmed.
  • The number of community outbreaks remains above the trigger by seven or more in seven days.
  • A community-based outbreak is defined as three or more cases of COVID-19 in one setting and in people from different households in the past 14 days.

Test:

  • 28,183 tests were reported to the county on Dec. 30, and the percentage of new laboratory-confirmed cases was 11%.
  • The 14-day moving average percentage of positive cases is 11%. The target is less than 8.0%.
  • The daily 7-day test average is 21,379.
  • People at higher risk for COVID-19 who may or may not have symptoms should be tested. People with symptoms should get tested. Healthcare workers and essential workers should also be tested, as well as people who have had close contact with a positive case or who live in highly affected communities. Those who have recently returned from travel or attended holiday gatherings are also advised to get tested.

Case:

  • 3,083 new cases were reported to the county on December 30. The region’s total is now 155,595.
  • 5,869 or 3.8% of all cases required hospitalization.
  • 1,216 or 0.8% of all cases and 20.7% of hospitalized cases required admission to an intensive care unit.

Death:

  • 62 new deaths from COVID-19 were reported to the county on December 30. The region’s total is now 1,534.
  • 26 women and 36 men died between December 15 and December 30, and their ages ranged from their mid-40s to early 100s.
  • A total of 59 had underlying health issues, one had no health issues, and two had a pending medical history.

More information:

The more detailed data summaries found on the County coronavirus-sd.com website are updated around 5 p.m. daily.

[ad_2]

Source link