Coronavirus Death Toll Climbs To 36 In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — Five more San Diego County residents have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, health officials announced Wednesday. The county also recorded an additional 76 cases of the virus, bringing the region's total to 1,530.

The death toll now stands at 36 in the county. The victims have ranged between 25 and 100 years old.

Most of the people who have died had underlying medical conditions.

"COVID-19 deaths are very unfortunate, but more could occur as the number of positive cases increases," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer.

Don't miss the latest coronavirus updates in San Diego County. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

A total of 21,178 people have been tested for the virus in the county. About 93 percent of the tests have come back negative.

Of the county's cases, 785 were men and 735 were women. The gender of eight people was unknown. Of the known cases, 316 were hospitalized, including 122 in intensive care.

There have been 247 estimated recoveries from COVID-19.

County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said the county estimated the recoveries by taking the last known positive tests for the illness, waiting two weeks and then subtracting any loss of life. It is a rough estimate, but does give some semblance of the county's picture, he said, noting it was similar to how Johns Hopkins University tracked cases and recoveries worldwide.

Health officials urged county residents to continue to help slow the spread of the virus and cautioned that the statewide shutdown will continue through at least April despite encouraging signs in the region and across California.

"Our message today is very clear: It is to stay the course," Fletcher said.

"While there are some encouraging signs of how California is doing as a whole, and there are some encouraging signs of how San Diego is doing compared to other urban areas in the state of California, the reality is we have to stay the course," he said. "The progress that we are seeing in San Diego, and the progress that we are seeing in California is a result of the early actions that we took, but more importantly, a result of the widespread adoption that we have seen from each and every one of you out there. We need you to continue to do that."

Related coverage:

• Coronavirus: 12 More San Diego County Residents Die, Total At 31
• 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
• Oceanside To Close Beaches; Only Coronado Remains Open In County
• Listen To Stay-Home, Social-Distance Mandates: San Diego County Sheriff
• Supervisors Put Moratorium On Evictions For Residents, Small Businesses
• California Coronavirus Latest: Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures

City News Service contributed to this report.