County Reports 949 New Cases As COVID Deaths Nearly Double In One Week

San Diego CA

02 September, 2021

8:49 AM

Description

By Elizabeth Ireland, Times of San Diego September 2, 2021 The 49 COVID-19 deaths reported in the past week nearly doubled the previous week's 25, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced Wednesday. There were 37 men who died and 12 women. Most of the deaths occurred in late August. Forty-one had underlying medical conditions, four did not and four had medical history pending. Of the 49 deaths, 12 were 80 years of age or older, 13 were in their 70s, 12 were in their 60s, seven were in their 50s and five were in their 40s. "These deaths are very tragic because they could have been prevented," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. "We now have very safe and effective vaccines against COVID-19. These deaths should not have occurred." Most of the deaths being reported now have been San Diegans who were not vaccinated. Public health officials expected that more people would get vaccinated after the Food and Drug Administration gave full approval to the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 23. The region has seen a slight uptick in vaccinations. An average of 3,749 San Diegans got their first doses daily between Aug. 23 and Saturday. In comparison, an average of 3,651 people received their first shot between Aug. 17-22. "Unvaccinated San Diegans are primarily the ones ending up in the hospital and, unfortunately, dying," Wooten said. No-cost COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in the region. A list of locations and more information is available at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine. The county reported 949 new COVID-19 infections and 20 deaths Wednesday, increasing the cumulative totals to 335,302 cases and 3,908 fatalities. San Diego County's case rate per 100,000 residents is 38.7 overall, 15.2 for fully vaccinated people and 68.0 for not fully vaccinated San Diegans. A total of 17,204 tests were reported by the county Wednesday, and the percentage of new positive cases was 5.5%. The 14-day rolling percentage of positive cases among tests is 6.6%. 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.