COVID-19 San Diego

COUNTY LIMITS CONTACT TRACING TO ONLY THOSE AT HIGH-RISK AFTER COVID EXPOSURE

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  a County employee conducts contact tracing.

March 10, 2022 (San Diego) - The County is following the national recommendation to reprioritize COVID-19 case investigations to focus on cases reported in people who are at higher risk of developing serious complications from the disease.


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MASK MANDATE FOR FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE ENDS FEB. 15 IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, DESPITE CDC ADVICE TO KEEP WEARING MASKS

By Miriam Raftery

Photo credit:  County News Service

February 10, 2022 (San Diego) – Starting February 15, fully vaccinated people will no longer have to wear masks indoors in most places in San Diego County.  But the action runs counter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control advice, which continues to recommend face masks, particularly N95 masks, as the best way to prevent spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.


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HOLIDAY PRECAUTIONS URGED AS COVID-19, OMICRON CASES SPIKE UP

By José A. Álvarez, County of San Diego Communications Office 

December 23, 2021 (San Diego) -- An increasing number of COVID-19 cases, more upcoming holiday celebrations and the growing spread of the Omicron variant are prompting County health officials to urge San Diegans to do their part to keep the coronavirus spread from increasing even more.


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COVID-19 DEATHS IN COUNTY NEARLY DOUBLE IN ONE WEEK

Source: County News Service

September 3, 2021 (San Diego) – COVID-19 deaths countywide nearly doubled in the past week, with 49 deaths Aug. 25-31, up from 25 the week before, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced on Sept. 1.


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COVID-19 CASES IN COUNTY RISE 82% IN ONE WEEK AS THOUSANDS OF UNVACCINATED RESIDENTS FALL ILL

Source: County Communications Office

July 21, 2021 (San Diego) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in San Diego has spiked  in the past week, prompting County health officials to urge residents to continue getting vaccinated. In the past seven days, 3,465 COVID-19 cases were reported in San Diego County. That’s 1,566 or 82% more cases than the previous seven-day period.


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MORE THAN 140,000 PEOPLE IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY PAST DUE FOR SECOND COVID SHOT

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo via San Diego County News Service

July 8, 2021 (San Diego) - More than 140,000 San Diegans who have received their first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are overdue for their second dose, the Health and Human Services Agency reported Thursday.


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UNVACCINATED SAN DIEGANS ACCOUNT FOR OVER 99% OF ALL COVID-19 CASES, HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS

By Miriam Raftery

 

July 7, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego County today released data revealing that San Diegans who are not fully vaccinated account for 99.8% of all deaths and hospitalizations, as well as 99.1% of all cases countywide since January 1st.  


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOVES TO YELLOW TIER STARTING JUNE 9

By Miriam Raftery

June 8, 2021 (San Diego) – Local businesses and event organizers will get a welcome reprieve from COVID-19 restrictions even earlier than the full reopening set to begin June 15 statewide.  Starting tomorrow, San Diego County will move into the state’s least restrictive Yellow Tier, after two consecutive weeks of less than two COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.


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NEARLY 68% OF COUNTY RESIDENTS OVER AGE 12 HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE VACCINE

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo  chart via County of San Diego Health and Human Services compares COVID case numbers to vaccine doses administered
 
May 26, 2021 (San Diego) – San Diego’s successful COVID-19 vaccine rollout has now resulted in over 3.57 million doses.  Over 67.9% of all San Diego County residents age 12 and up have now received at least one shot and more than 52.5% are fully vaccinated, according to the County Health and Human Services department.

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MORE THAN HALF OF COUNTY FULLY VACCINATED; COUNTY ADDS MORE MOBILE EVENTS

 

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

May 22, 2021 (San Diego) - More than half of all San Diegans 12 years old and older — 50.3% — have now been fully vaccinated, County officials announced Thursday in an important milestone.


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NEW CONSENT FORM FOR MINORS GETTING COVID-19 VACCINE WITHOUT GUARDIAN

By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  Registered nurse Carol Shapiro gets ready to give Kayden Faulkner, 14, her COVID-19 vaccination.

May 14, 2021 (San Diego) - Starting Saturday, youths ages 12-17 who want to get a COVID-19 vaccination in San Diego County without a parent present will have to provide a signed form to show their parent or legal guardian has given permission.


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GOVERNOR SAYS CALIFORNIA CAN FULLY REOPEN JUNE 15; SAN DIEGO ENTERS 'ORANGE' TIER

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks outside a vaccination site in San Francisco on Tuesday. Image from live feed

April 7, 2021 (San Diego) - Marking a major step in a return to normalcy, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that all COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, gatherings and recreational activities will be lifted June 15, although a statewide mask mandate will remain in place.


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COUNTY RECAPS A YEAR FIGHTING COVID-19

By Anita Lightfoot, County of San Diego Communications Office

March 24, 2021 (San Diego) - On March 19, 2020, California became the first state in the country to issue a stay-at-home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The months since have been filled with challenges, fear and grief, innovation and historic breakthroughs. Here is a look back at a year that San Diego was seized by a deadly threat and how the County fought back.


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COUNTY COVID-19 OUTLOOK CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo: cc via Bing
 
March 23, 2021 (San Diego) – Over a half million San Diego County residents, or 18.8% of the population age 16 and up, are now fully vaccinated – and 30.6% of those eligible have received at least one vaccine, as of yesterday. As the number of people vaccinated ramps up, the number of cases, outbreaks, and testing positivity rates are continuing to drop.

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SAN DIEGO STILL DOESN'T HAVE EQUITABLE INTERNET ACCESS ONE YEAR INTO PANDEMIC

Community activists have long underscored the impacts of the gaps of access to high speed, reliable internet to non-White and poorer communities and they’ve critiqued public leaders for not taking quicker action to bridge the divide.

By Kayla Jimenez, Voice of San Diego

This post has been updated.

Image via Pixabay

March 23, 2021 (San Diego) - A year after the pandemic made having a reliable internet connection a requisite for countless families, professionals, school children and others, the number of people without it has not changed and cities across the San Diego region have either no plan to address it or no money to fund their plans.


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COUNTY REPORTS 376 NEW VIRUS CASES AS AVAILABLE VACCINE DOSES RISE TO OVER 100,000

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  People with appointments line up at the Sharp Covid-19 vaccination supersite at Grossmont Center in La Mesa. Photo by Chris Stone

March 2, 2021 (San Diego) - The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 376 new cases of coronavirus and 14 deaths Tuesday as new shipments of vaccine boosted the currently available doses over 100,000.


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY 2-3 WEEKS AWAY FROM VACCINATING TEACHERS, OTHER ESSENTIAL WORKERS

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Supervisor Nathan Fletcher briefs the media on the coronavirus pandemic. Image from live stream

February 11, 2021 (San Diego) - San Diego County health officials said Thursday that vaccinations of teachers, law enforcement and other essential workers will likely begin within two to three weeks.


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COUNTY OPENS NEW VACCINE SITE AT TUBMAN CHAVEZ COMMUNITY CENTER

By Katie Cadiao, County of San Diego Communications Office

Photo:  The COVID-19 vaccine is now available for health care professionals and people 65 and older at multiple sites in the region.

February 8, 2021 (San Diego) - The County’s expanding COVID-19 vaccination efforts now include the opening of a site at Tubman Chavez Community Center. Starting today, the site will offer COVID-19 vaccinations from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.


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SAN DIEGO REPORTS FEWEST COVID-19 INFECTIONS IN MORE THAN A MONTH

By Elizabeth Ireland, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Hospitalman Apprentice Jewel Guese, a sailor assigned to Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Naval Branch Health Clinic, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, prepares vaccines at the clinic. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Luke Cunningham

February 1, 2021 (San Diego) - San Diego County public health officials Monday logged 1,082 COVID-19 infections — the fewest new cases in more than a month — and no additional fatalities.


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SAN DIEGO REPORTS 1,434 COVID CASES, 46 DEATHS AS POSITIVE TESTING RATE TRENDS DOWN

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  A man is tested for coronavirus at a drive-up site. Courtesy County News Center

January 27, 2021 (San Diego) - San Diego County public health officials reported 1,434 new COVID-19 cases and 46 more deaths Tuesday as the positive-test rate continue to trend down.


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KPBS GETS COUNTY DATA ON OUTBREAKS IN RESTAURANTS, RETAILERS, CASINOS AND MORE: THE NUMBERS MAY SURPRISE YOU

By Miriam Raftery

Image via KPBS, republished under Fair Use Doctrine

December 21, 2020  (San Diego) – It took a lawsuit under the California Public Records Act filed by KPBS, Voice of San Diego and the San Diego Union-Tribune to obtain data previously kept secret on the exact location of COVID-19 outbreaks, including names of businesses affected.

The data reveals many outbreaks at venues such as Walmart, Costco, Target, casinos and manufacturers/businesses. The most outbreaks, however, have been at senior living facilities/nursing homes(214 outbreaks) followed by restaurants and bars with 208 outbreaks from March through November.

The number of outbreaks doesn’t tell the whole story, however.


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COUNTY REPORTS 2,104 NEW VIRUS CASES AND 15 DEATHS AS PANDEMIC SURGES

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

December 10, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County public health officials reported the second highest daily increase in coronavirus cases on Wednesday and pleaded with residents to follow the stay-at-home order to avoid overwhelming the health system.

There were 2,104 new cases and 15 deaths, with 8.4% of the latest tests coming back positive.

Supervisor Nathan Fletcher told a media briefing that projections showed all county ICU beds would have been occupied before Christmas without the regional lockdown, which is now in its third day.

“When you have as many cases as we have, and it is spreading as fast as it is, there are very few settings that are safe,” warned Fletcher.


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY EXPECTS INITIAL ALLOCATION OF 28,000 VACCINE DOSES IN DECEMBER

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

Photo:  Creative Commons via Bing

December 2, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County will get 28,000 doses of the new Pfizer vaccine in the next week or two, but it will be March or April before coronavirus vaccines are widely available, public health officials said Wednesday.


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PEOPLE AT HOLIDAY GATHERINGS URGED TO GET TESTED FOR COVID-19

Source: County News Service

Photo credit:  Shutterstock

November 30, 2020 (San Diego) - If you traveled or gathered with people outside your household over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you were at higher risk of having contracted COVID-19 and could inadvertently be spreading it.


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY SLIPS INTO 'PURPLE TIER' AND MAY FACE NEW RESTRICTIONS NEXT WEEK

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  Dr. Wilma Wooten briefs local media on the coronavirus numbers and purple tier ranking. Image from livestream

November 4, 2020 (San Diego) - Rising coronavirus cases pushed San Diego County into the “purple” zone on Wednesday, raising the possibility of new restrictions if the case rate does not fall by next week.


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HEALTH OFFICIALS WORRIED ABOUT SAN DIEGO SLIPPING INTO 'PURPLE' TIER

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association 

Photo:  Dr. Wilma Wooten speaks at Friday’s press conference. Image from livestream

October 16, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County public health officials warned Friday that coronavirus infections are creeping up and the county could enter the widespread, or purple, tier in state rankings.


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SAN DIEGO COUNTY REPORTS 161 NEW VIRUS CASES AND REMAINS IN 'RED TIER'

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association

Photo:  a county public health nurse administers a COVID-19 test. Courtesy County News Center  

October 7, 2020 (San Diego) - San Diego County reported 161 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday and remained in the substantial, or red, tier in the latest state ranking.


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STATE REJECTS COUNTY REQUEST TO EXCLUDE SDSU COVID CASES THAT COULD TRIGGER NEW RESTRICTIONS

By Miriam Raftery
 
September 17, 2020 (San Diego) – An outbreak of COVID-19 threatens to push San Diego County from the state’s red to the purple tier, a shift that could force temporary closure again of indoor operations at businesses including restaurants, worship services and gyms, also reducing capacity of retail stores to 25%.

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COUNTY IS OFF STATE WATCH LIST, BUT NOT OUT OF THE WOODS FOR COVID-19

By Miriam Raftery

August 19, 2020 (San Diego) – San Diego County reached an important milestone yesterday, when the state removed the county from California’ monitoring list. The County Public Health office announced the change was made after the county’s rate of new COVID-19 cases dropped below 100 cases per 100,000 people for three consecutive days. San Diego has been on the watch list since July 3, 2020.

So what does that mean?  First, if the case rate stays under 100 per 100,000 people in the population for another 14 days (until Aug. 31), K-12 schools will be allowed to reopen. Districts will have a choice and may opt for in-class instruction, continue virtual learning, or a combination of both.

Businesses, however, will not be able to resume normal activities until the county receives further guidance on the state. So for now, closed businesses must remain shut-down and those operating outdoors cannot go back inside.


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COUNTY SHOWS IMPROVEMENT IN COVID-19, BUT NOT YET ENOUGH TO ALLOW REOPENINGS

By Miriam Raftery

August 4, 2020 (San Diego) – Since landing on the state’s watch list for three triggers that forced renewed shutdowns of many businesses, San Diego County is finally making progress toward reducing spread of COVID-19. But those improvements are not yet enough to ease restrictions.

Here are the triggers, the progress, and what still needs to happen to enable schools and businesses to reopen in our region.


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