Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Jump Again In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego County health officials announced 83 new coronavirus cases and six more deaths Tuesday, following a weekend in which fewer new cases and deaths were reported in the region.

There have now been 1,930 confirmed cases of the virus and 53 deaths in the county.

The latest victims included three men who were 63, 79 and 86 years old and three women who were 81, 98, and 100 years old.

To date, the victims have ranged between 25 and 100. More than half of the coronavirus-related deaths in the county have been people over the age of 80. All but two of the victims had underlying medial conditions.

"I do want to express my sincere condolences to everyone who's been affected by this disease, including the deaths and the severe illnesses that have resulted," said Dr. Eric McDonald, the county's medical director of epidemiology.

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Of the county's confirmed cases, 50.3 percent were men and 49.4 percent were women. The gender of five people were unknown. The patients have been between 3 months and 100 years old.

Of the COVID-19 patients, 23.3 percent have been hospitalized, 8.5 percent have been placed in intensive care and 2.7 percent have died.

More than 27,000 people have been tested for the virus in the county. About 93 percent of the tests have come back negative.

It appears early action from local governments and cooperation from the public may have begun "flattening the curve" of cases in the county, officials said.

The trends over the weekend appeared favorable, with slow growth and few additional deaths, but health officials warned against reading too much into the daily figures. McDonald said the public should be looking at longterm trends, and those trends are still increasing.

Still, the number of recovered patients is growing at a faster rate than those being admitted to the hospital. County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said the sacrifices of the public have not gone unnoticed.

"In San Diego, we have been generally successful in flattening the curve because we took early action and bold action, but also because the actions we took were based on data, on science, on the advice of public health officials," Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said.

"To come out of this successfully, we have to take the same approach," he added. "Actions guided by science, by data, by public health. Not actions guided by politics."

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday said the state will need to meet six key milestones in its fight against the virus before officials consider lifting California's stay-home order and reopening the economy. Fletcher acknowledged the governor's efforts to set up a framework for reopening the state and said the county would be following state metrics.

The six metrics Newsom and Fletcher mentioned include: making sure public health officers were tracing contacts of the disease, protecting those most at risk, continuing to increase regional hospital capacity, monitoring latest scientific developments and treatments, adjusting businesses and schools to a new normal, and making sure the government maintains the ability to authorize protective orders.

Even with the beginnings of a framework for life after COVID-19, Fletcher admitted too much was unknown.

"The reality is, we still don't know," he said in regards to when public health orders would be lifted. "We will move at the guidance and direction of our public health experts."

Related coverage:

• CA Outlines Plan To Modify State's Coronavirus Stay-Home Order
• Coronavirus Cases Surpass 1,000 Milestone In San Diego County
• Face Coverings Urged As Coronavirus Cases Rise In San Diego
• San Diego Authorities To Crack Down On Stay-At-Home Violators
• Supervisors Put Moratorium On Evictions For Residents, Small Businesses
• California Coronavirus Latest: Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures

Patch editor Kristina Houck and City News Service contributed to this report.