San Diego County Reports 741 COVID Cases, 5 Deaths And 'Recommends' Wearing Masks Indoors

San Diego CA

28 July, 2021

11:07 AM

Description

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego July 28, 2021 The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 741 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths on Tuesday amid a new wave of infections across the country. There were 745 cases reported Monday, 515 on Sunday, 784 on Saturday and 1,264 on Friday. The latest local report came just hours after the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance, recommending that fully vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors in public in areas with high infection rates. While the CDC guidance is a recommendation, both Los Angeles and Sacramento counties have issued mask mandates, and San Diego County recommended masking indoors. The infection rate is considered "high" in all three counties. "The County of San Diego will follow the latest CDC guidance in recommending the universal wearing of masks by both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings," the county said in a statement. "Masks are an added measure; vaccinations are critical for getting back to the things we love." Coronavirus cases have been rising due to the highly contagious delta variant, which emerged in India but has quickly spread and now accounts for more than 80% of U.S. coronavirus cases. "COVID-19 is now the pandemic of the unvaccinated," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "Get vaccinated now, especially since cases and hospitalizations have been going up." Since the pandemic began, there have been 293,408 cases and 3,798 deaths from COVID-19 in San Diego County for a fatality rate of 1.3%. Updated at 7:10 p.m., Tuesday, July 27, 2021 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.