County Health Officials Report 256 New COVID-19 Cases, Uptick In Hospitalizations

San Diego CA

21 April, 2021

3:25 PM

Description

By Elizabeth Ireland, Times of San Diego April 21, 2021 San Diego County public health officials reported 256 new COVID-19 infections and an uptick in hospitalizations, as the region's weekly case rates increased further into the red tier of the state's Blueprint for Recovery for the second week in a row. Hospitalizations related to coronavirus increased by seven — to 184 — compared to Monday — the highest number since April 5. There were 61 COVID-19 patients in intensive care unit beds as of Tuesday, a increase of five from the previous day. Despite posting an adjusted case rate of 6.1 new daily cases per 100,000 population, the county can't backslide into the red tier unless hospitalization rates climb or other metrics spike — as state rules changed earlier this month. San Diego County is in the orange tier — the second least-restrictive level in the state's four-tier system for reopening the economy. The latest cases brought the cumulative total to 275,368, while the death toll remained unchanged at 3,674. Of the 7,747 test results reported Tuesday, 3% returned positive. The 14-day rolling average of positive tests is 1.8%. More than 2.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered to San Diego County, and 1,300,866 county residents — or 64.5% of the county's goal of 75% of its eligible population — have received at least one dose. The state's goal is to vaccinate 75% of people 16 and older to achieve so-called herd immunity — equating to around 2.02 million San Diego County residents. There were no new community outbreaks reported Tuesday; 21 were reported over the last seven days with 83 associated cases. — City News Service contributed to this report 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.