A record number of cases and an additional 58 deaths from COVID-19 were reported on December 31, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.
With 4,478 COVID-19 cases reported, the total for the region is now 160,073. This is the first time that the daily total exceeds 4,000 cases in a single day and eclipses the previous record set on December 17, 2020, when 3,611 cases were reported.
In addition, 58 additional deaths were reported on December 31, and the total is now 1,592. This is the second highest daily total reported after a record 62 deaths on December 30.
“The record number of cases and the high total number of deaths we are seeing means that we should better follow public health guidelines, especially avoiding all unnecessary contacts with people outside our immediate families,” said Eric McDonald, MD, MPH, director doctor in the County Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch. “With vaccines increasingly available, we expect to turn the corner in our fight against COVID-19 in 2021, but it looks like it will be a very difficult January.”
With the recent local detections in B.1.1.7. new coronavirus strain found in the UK for the first time, the San Diegans must do the following now more than ever:
- Wash the hands
- Wear a mask
- Stay away from other people and leave the house only for essential activities
- If you are sick, get tested and then stay home and isolate yourself
ICU capacity and order of stay at home:
- The current availability of beds in intensive care units (ICUs) for the Southern California region is 0.0% and will be updated daily by the state.
- The regional residence order is in effect and prohibits meetings of any size with people from other families and adds restrictions for various sectors.
- The order will last until the availability of ICUs in the region reaches or exceeds 15%.
Community configuration outbreaks:
- Eight new community outbreaks were confirmed on December 31: four in commercial settings, two in grocery settings, one in a health setting and one in a religious setting.
- In the past seven days (December 25-31), 53 community outbreaks have been confirmed.
- The number of outbreaks in the community remains above the trigger of seven or more in seven days.
- An outbreak in a community setting is defined as three or more cases of COVID-19 in an environment and in people from different households in the past 14 days.
Test:
- 31,602 examinations were notified to the county on December 31, and the percentage of new laboratory confirmed cases was 14%.
- The daily average of 7-day tests is 21,726.
- People at higher risk for COVID-19 with or without symptoms should be tested. People with any symptoms should get tested. Health professionals and essentials should also be tested, as well as people who have had close contact with a positive case or live in communities that are being highly affected. Those who have recently returned from a trip or who have participated in festive events should also take the test.
Cases:
- 5,914 or 3.7% of all cases required hospitalization.
- 1,219 or 0.8% of all cases and 20.6% of hospitalized cases had to be admitted to the intensive care unit.
Deaths:
- 58 new COVID-19 deaths were reported to the county on December 31. The region’s total is now 1,592.
- 37 men and 21 women died between 14 and 31 December, and their ages ranged between 40 and 100 years.
- 42 had underlying medical conditions and 16 had pending medical history.
More information:
The more detailed data summaries found on the county’s coronavirus-sd.com website are updated around 5pm daily.