San Diego County Reports 2,128 COVID Cases, 32 Deaths As Positive Rate Trends Down

San Diego CA

31 January, 2021

2:30 PM

Description

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego January 31, 2021 The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 2,128 new cases of coronavirus Saturday and 32 more deaths from the pandemic disease. Out of 23,857 test results received in the past day, 8.9% were positive, and the 14-day rolling average of positive tests continued to trend down, reaching 8.8%. It was nearly 15% in early January. Hospitalizations and intensive-care admissions also continued to decline, opening ICU beds for non-COVID patients. The number of hospitalized patients peaked at 1,804 on Jan. 11 and now stands at 1,375. The county reported Saturday that 304,595 vaccine doses have been given to date out of 497,600 doses shipped to the region. A total of 50,757 residents have received two doses and are fully vaccinated while another 253,838 people have received their first dose. Healthcare workers and residents 65 and older are currently eligible to be vaccinated. Workers in education, child care, food and emergency services are next in line, followed by middle-aged residents. "We're trying to make it easier for people to make an appointment and get vaccinated when it's their turn," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "The vaccine is safe and effective and it's the best tool we have to slow the pandemic." To make an appointment or see a map of where vaccines are being distributed, go to vaccinationsuperstationsd.com. Medical groups like Scripps, UC San Diego Health and Sharp are also beginning to schedule vaccinations for their members. Since the first local case in March, there have been 236,768 cases in San Diego County and 2,603 deaths from COVID-19. Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.