San Diego County health officials have reported 417 new COVID-19 infections and one additional death, raising the county's totals to 32,747 cases and 594 fatalities since the onset of the pandemic.
Four new community outbreaks were confirmed Saturday, all at businesses, according to the county Health and Human Services Agency. In the past seven days, 24 community outbreaks have been confirmed.
The number of community outbreaks remains above the county's goal of fewer than seven in a seven-day span.
A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households in the past 14 days.
The one new COVID-19 death, reported on Saturday, was a man in his 60s who had underlying medical conditions. He died on July 26.
Of the total positive cases in the county, 2,745 — or 8.4% — required hospitalization since the pandemic began, and 687 — or 2.1% — were admitted to an intensive care unit.
The county reported 6,236 tests Saturday, 7% of which returned positive. The 14-day rolling average percentage of positive cases is 5.3%. The state's target is fewer than 8.0% testing positive. The 7-day daily average of tests is 8,000.
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Because of the county's budget hearings today, the next scheduled media briefing by county health officials will be Tuesday.
County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said Wednesday that because of problems with the state's electronic reporting system, which has led to a backlog in test results, additional cases might be retroactively added to both local and statewide case totals in coming weeks.
The county's case rate per 100,000 residents is 110.2. The state's goal is fewer than 100 per 100,000. The case rate is a 14-day average and is based on the date of the actual onset of the illness in each patient, not the date the illness was first reported by the county. Lags in reporting often lead to delays in new confirmed cases being reported to and announced by health officials.
The percentage of people testing positive for the illness who have been contacted by a county contact tracer in the first 48 hours has increased from 7% on July 18 to 95% Saturday. The county's target for this metric was more than 90%.
Of the total hospitalized during the pandemic due to the illness, 71% have been 50 or older. But county residents ages 20-29 have accounted for 25.5% of COVID-19 cases, the highest of any age group, according to county data. That age group is also least likely to take precautionary measures to avoid spreading the illness, officials said.
"Some San Diegans think they're not going to get sick and therefore are not following the public health guidance," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "What they don't realize is that they could get infected and pass the virus to others who are vulnerable."
The age group with the second-highest number of infections — residents ages 30-39 — represent 18.9% of the county's COVID-19 cases.
