If you are planning a gathering in the coming holidays, county health officials say you should cancel it.
Gathering with family or friends outside of your household can lead to a COVID-19 increase in cases and admissions, further straining a local critical health care system that is already close to capacity.
“I know how difficult this time of year is for so many of us. The holiday should be a time where we meet with family and friends. This year, things must be different, ”Wilma Wooten, MD, MPH, County of Public Health. “We know what happens when holidays come and people gather. COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths increase dramatically. ”
Since the availability of the bed for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Southern California fell below 15% and the regional residence order came into force, the situation has continued to deteriorate.
ICU bed availability is now zero. The region’s hospitals are being overwhelmed, even after the addition of more ICU beds.
Here is what the region experienced in the weeks after Thanksgiving:
- 44% or about 59,400 of the nearly 146,000 cases since the start of the pandemic occurred after Thanksgiving.
- Of the more than 5,500 admissions since the pandemic started, about 780 or 14% occurred after Thanksgiving.
- Of the 1,350 reported deaths since the pandemic started, about 330 or 25% occurred after Thanksgiving. At the rate at which deaths are growing, the region is on track to register 600 more deaths by the end of January.
“We do not want to see what happened after Thanksgiving happen again. We had just reported 39 deaths in a single day. That is a new record, ”said Wooten. “We must continue to stay separate to control the spread of the virus. If we do not, cases, hospitalizations and deaths will continue to rise. ”
COVID-19 vaccines available in the region:
- Total doses: 102,550 are available from 23 December 2020.
- Pfizer: 29,250 doses; two doses administered at three-week intervals.
- Modern: 73,300 doses; two doses four weeks apart.
- The number of doses does not include federal, military, and multi-county entities such as the Kaiser as well as the Pharmacy Partnership Program.
ICU capacity and stay at home order:
- The current ICU capacity in Southern California is now 0.0% and is updated daily by the state.
- The regional residence order is still in force and prohibits gatherings of any size with people from other households and adds restrictions for several sectors.
- The order lasts for at least three weeks, or until the region’s ICU capacity meets or exceeds 15%. The order will be assessed by the state after a three-week period.
Outbreaks from community settings:
- 12 new outbreaks were confirmed on 22 December: three in business settings, two in the TK-12 school environment, one in a daycare / kindergarten / childcare setting, one in a grocery store, one in a health setting, one in a construction setting, one in emergency services, one in a food / beverage setting and one in a government environment.
- In the last seven days (December 16 to December 22), 44 social outbreaks were confirmed.
- The number of outbreaks in the community remains above the trigger of seven or more in seven days.
- An outbreak of community settings is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people from different households during the last 14 days.
Testing:
- 31,036 tests were reported to the county on December 22, and the percentage of new laboratory-confirmed cases was 8%.
- The 14-day moving average percentage of positive cases is 9.7%. The target is less than 8.0%.
- The 7-day daily average of tests is 28,806.
- People at higher risk for COVID-19 with or without symptoms should be tested. People with symptoms should be tested. Healthcare and key workers should also get a test as well as people who have had close contact with a positive cause or live in communities that are highly affected. Those who have recently returned from the trip, or who attended holiday gatherings, are also encouraged to be tested.
Cases:
- 2,598 new cases were reported to the county on December 22nd. The total number of the region is now 134,696.
- 5,524 or 4.1% of all cases have required admission.
- 1,160 or 0.9% of all cases and 21% of hospitalized cases had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.
Deaths: Deaths:
- 39 new COVID-19 deaths were reported to the county on Dec. 22, a new record. The region’s total is now 1,350.
- 20 men and 19 women died between December 9 and December 22, and their ages ranged from the mid-40s to the mid-90s.
- All but two had underlying medical conditions.
More information:
The more detailed data overviews can be found at County’s coronavirus-sd.com Web site updated around 17 daily.