Keep Holiday Celebrations Small, Short and Safe | News

With soaring COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, county health officials are urging the San Diegans to keep Thanksgiving and other holiday celebrations small, short and safe.

“There should be a small number of people and gatherings should be short-lived,” said Wilma Wooten, MD, MPH, county public health official. “We ask people to please follow public health guidelines to provide a safe experience for all who attend the rally.”

Gatherings with members of your own household pose a lower risk of catching and transmitting COVID-19. But if you want to come together, Wooten said you should take precautions to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus.

The smaller the better, and sanitation does not require more than three households, with gatherings outside when possible. They should be short and no longer than two hours. And participants should be safe and wear a face mask when not eating or drinking, maintain social distancing, and practice good hand hygiene.

“If you are sick, stay home and avoid any non-family gathering or event,” Wooten said.

The county has issued COVID-19 guidelines for Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays.

Other recommendations include:

• Remote events with family and friends, such as a virtual dinner, recipe sharing, virtual turkey trot, or online game
  • TV or live broadcast events from home with members of your household
  • Outdoor orchards, food markets and seasonal craft fairs where state councilsis followed

Status measurements:

• As part of the state’s system for determining the risk of COVID-19, San Diego County is level purple, or level 1. The state uses the most restrictive measure of case rate or positivity testing. to assign levels for authorized activities. Internal operations at restaurants, gymnasiums, places of worship and cinemas are currently not allowed.
• The adjusted case rate calculated by the county state is currently 10.7 cases per 100,000 population and the region is at the purple level or level 1 for this metric.
• The test’s percentage of positivity is 4.3%, which places it at level 3 or orange level for this metric.
• The county’s health equity measure, which examines the positivity of testing for areas with the lowest health conditions, is 7.2% and is in the red level or level 2. This measure does not shift not counties to more restrictive levels, but is necessary to progress.
• The California Department of Public Health announced that level assignments, typically given every Tuesday, can now take place on any day of the week and can take place more than once a week.

Community-based epidemics:

• 13 new community outbreaks were confirmed on November 22: four in retail establishments, three in restaurants, two in commercial establishments, two in restaurants / bars, one in a government setting and one in a construction setting .
• 10 community outbreaks were confirmed on November 21: two in restaurants / bars, two in commercial establishments, two in retail establishments, one in a restaurant, one in a distribution warehouse, one in a healthcare facility health and one in a residence.
• 12 community outbreaks were confirmed on November 20: two at restaurants / bars, two at commercial establishments, two at retail establishments, one at a fitness / gym, one at a hotel / resort / spa, one in an adult daycare, one in a faith setting, one in a health care facility, and one in a distribution warehouse.
• In the past seven days (November 16 to November 22), 61 community outbreaks have been confirmed.
• The number of community epidemics remains above the trigger of 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:

• 22,117 tests were reported to the county on Nov. 22, and the percentage of new laboratory-confirmed cases was 5%.
• The 14-day moving average percentage of positive cases is 5%. The target is less than 8.0%.
• The daily 7-day test average is 20,138.
• People with and without symptoms who are at higher risk for COVID-19 should be tested. Healthcare professionals and essential workers should also get tested, as well as people who have had close contact with a positive case or who live in heavily affected communities.

Case:

• 1,167 new cases were confirmed among residents of San Diego County on Nov. 22, the second-highest total on a day. The total for the region is now 72,815.
• 4,414 or 6.1% of all cases required hospitalization.
• 994 or 1.4% of all cases and 22.5% of hospitalized cases required admission to an intensive care unit.
• A new COVID-19 case rate mapshows how cities and local communities are affected by the virus.

Death:

• No new deaths were reported in the county on November 22. The region’s total remains at 968.
• Two new deaths were reported on November 21. Two men died between November 10 and November 12, and their ages ranged from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s. Both had underlying medical conditions.
• Six new deaths were reported on November 20: Five men and one woman died between November 12 and November 19, and their ages ranged from the early 1950s to the mid 1980s. All had underlying medical conditions.

More information:

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