SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego County’s coronavirus numbers remained elevated Wednesday, but were lower than Tuesday’s 10.5% positive case rate relative to the number of tests performed.
The county is about a month into a spike of cases that began as more businesses reopened during the pandemic.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force noted Southern California’s rising case numbers during a briefing Wednesday morning.
“The majority of the issue is in the Los Angeles area although we see this through Riverside, Imperial, Sacramento and now San Francisco with increased numbers of cases,” said Deborah Brix, M.D., the task force’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator.
San Diego was among the counties listed on a slideshow showing how many cases have been added.
Case numbers have grown steadily since mid-June. Between June 29 and July 6, cases increased 53% in Carlsbad, 52% in Solana Beach and 51% in Fallbrook.
South Bay communities, which were hardest-hit in the early days of the pandemic, have added cases at a slower rate during the recent spike, including San Ysidro, where cases increased 11% during the same timeframe.
The median age of cases continued to trend lower. Two months ago, the average age of people who tested positive was 46 years old. On Tuesday, it fell to 39 years old, which health officials attributed to younger people spending more time at recently reopened businesses. The median age of deaths has remained unchanged at 78-years-old since mid-May.
Hospitalizations and new ICU admissions became elevated last week. The census has since stabilized, and hospitals have not needed to dip into the 20% capacity reserved for coronavirus patients.
See below for commonly asked COVID-19 questions and their answers:
What is the average wait in San Diego to get tested for coronavirus?
The San Diego Health and Human Services Agency says people wait an average of 5-7 days for an appointment at testing sites. Those who want to get tested are recommended to contact their health provider, who may be able to provide faster access to tests if, after a screening, it is determined you qualify for a higher priority level. The county plans to add testing sites next week, but request all testing be done in conjunction with a person's physician.
Click here for information on testing sites and priority levels.
I keep my mask in the car on the dashboard. Does the heat of the locked car kill the coronavirus?
“The extreme heat inside cars may go beyond 130F. Leaving the face masks in vehicles that can be heated to this temperature for over 20 minutes could effectively kill the virus. However, this is a speculation based on the above reasoning, but without scientific results,” said UC Davis Professor Gang Sun.
If a person tests positive more than once is that counted as a new case in the stats?
“It is currently unclear whether a person can be infected with the COVID-19 virus, fully recover, and then be re-infected. Scenarios like this are still being closely studied,” says San Diego HHSA in its FAQ on coronavirus.
Are antibody tests counted as positives?
“Patients are diagnosed by laboratories who test samples (often through nose swabs) sent in by healthcare providers,” says HHSA in its FAQ on coronavirus