24 COVID-19 Variant Cases, 4 Probable Cases Identified In County

San Diego CA

05 January, 2021

4:44 PM

Description

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — San Diego County public health officials Tuesday reported 24 new confirmed and four probable cases of the more contagious strain of SARS-CoV2 that was first identified in the U.K. The new cases bring the county's confirmed cases of the variant to 28. The cases were confirmed by whole genome sequencing and the four probable cases are directly linked to the confirmed cases and have positive diagnostic nucleic acid tests, but are not yet sequenced. There have been no COVID-19 deaths locally connected to the variant, but one woman had to be hospitalized. She is now at home recovering, according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. The variant, known as B.1.1.7, was first found in the U.S. last Tuesday in Colorado. The first San Diego case was confirmed in a man in his 30s with no history of travel, who first became symptomatic Dec. 27 and tested positive Dec. 29. He was hospitalized and contact tracing was initiated. Three additional cases were reported Jan. 31. The 24 newly confirmed patients are believed to have no travel history and come from 19 different households, but the investigation and contact tracing are ongoing, the HHSA reported. New cases have been identified in San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa and Lakeside. While the four youngest cases are in children under 10 and the oldest is over 70, the average age of the variant cases to date is 36 — the same as the overall average for all confirmed cases in the county to date. "The fact that these cases have been identified in multiple parts of the region shows that this strain of the virus could be rapidly spreading," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County's public health officer. "People should be extra cautions to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19, especially this variant, which research has shown is more contagious." The county has asked all testing labs with the capability to identify the new strain to forward specimens for genome sequencing to determine if they are indeed cases of the variant. Local doctors have also been requested to forward COVID-19 positive tests from patients with a travel history to the United Kingdom or other places overseas where variants have been detected. County health officials reported 3,013 new COVID-19 infections Monday, along with an uptick in hospitalizations, to cap off a record-setting weekend for coronavirus cases. Monday marked the 35th consecutive day with more than 1,000 new infections, the 26th overall with more than 2,000 new cases, and the 10th time the 3,000-case mark has been crossed. A record 4,478 cases were reported Friday, followed by the second- and fourth-highest numbers — 4,427 Saturday and 3,520 Sunday. The county has reported 10,960 cases since the New Year, bringing its cumulative case total to 171,033. The county reported six deaths Monday, bringing the number of fatalities to 1,598. The three men and three women who died between Dec. 24 and Dec. 29 ranged in age from early 60s to late 80s. All had underlying medical conditions. Of 17,712 tests reported Monday, 17% returned positive. The seven-day, daily average of tests is 22,304. The county reported 47 new hospitalizations and nine new intensive care admissions Monday, bringing the cumulative number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the pandemic to 6,031 and ICU patients to 1,237. As of Sunday, 1,536 coronavirus patients were in the region's hospitals, with 376 in ICUs. The county's ICU bed capacity was at 19%, according to county health officials, although with staffing issues, the reality is likely much lower. The current intensive care unit bed availability for the Southern California region remains at 0%.One new community outbreak was reported Monday in a daycare/preschool setting. In the last seven days, there have been 45 confirmed community outbreaks, defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households over the past 14 days. UC San Diego students who returned to campus Monday for winter quarter came upon 11 newly installed COVID-19 testing kit vending machines, part of the university's "Return to Learn" program. Students are expected to conduct daily symptom and exposure screenings and participate in free weekly testing. Students and employees are required to return samples within 72 hours by placing them in drop boxes next to the vending machines. — City News Service