San Diego County public health officials reported 245 new COVID-19 infections and 12 deaths Saturday as case rates continue to decline.
Saturday's statistics increased the region's totals from throughout the pandemic to 274,811 infections and 3,674 deaths.
Of the 12,214 test results reported Saturday, 2% returned positive. The 14-day rolling average of positive tests is 1.8%, a decline from Thursday's reported 1.9%.
Hospitalizations due to the coronavirus decreased from 183 Friday to 176 on Saturday. Patients in intensive care beds declined from 60 Friday to 58 on Saturday. There were 49 staffed, available ICU beds in the county as of Saturday.
Nearly 2.4 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered to San Diego County, and 1,271,551 county residents — or 63% 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.
The county reported on Saturday a total of 797,590 people in San Diego County — or 39.5% of that goal — are fully vaccinated. The numbers include both county residents and those who only work in the region.
There were two community outbreaks reported Saturday, and 18 over the last seven days with 71 cases associated with the two outbreaks.
Hundreds of thousands of San Diegans are now eligible to receive COVID- 19 vaccines, as the state expanded eligibility to everyone age 16 and over on Thursday. The expansion of eligibility Thursday allowed millions of Californians to make appointments for shots, which could stretch already thin supplies. San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher again urged patience from the public as more vaccines will be shipped to the county in coming weeks.
Both Fletcher and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria received their first doses of the vaccine Thursday and encouraged others to follow suit.
"Help us defeat the pandemic," Gloria wrote on Twitter. "Make a plan to get your shot now."
People aged 16 and 17 can only get the Pfizer vaccine, because it is the only one approved for people that young.
Appointments can be made on the county's website.
Fletcher received his shot from the Veterans Administration, while also noting on Wednesday the VA and Department of Defense would begin including vaccination numbers for the county's daily statistics — something they had not been doing previously.
