Sharp spike in COVID cases after Thanksgiving | News

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency has reported an increase in new cases of COVID-19. The 5,649 laboratory-confirmed cases reported this week represent an increase of more than 63 percent compared to the previous week, when 3,455 new infections were reported.

While flu cases are down slightly compared to last week, wastewater data shows a continued upward trend. The county reported 2,583 new laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza this week. Last week, 2,721 cases were reported. Last year at this time there were 539 cases of the flu for the entire season up to this point.

“Holiday gatherings, especially indoors, can increase the spread of respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, as we see after Thanksgiving,” said Cameron Kaiser, MD, MPH, the county’s deputy public health officer. “San Diego County residents know how to protect loved ones when they gather to celebrate, as they have done in the past. Masking, home testing and vaccinations can help keep you and your families from spending this holiday season sick or worse.”

The bivalent vaccine against COVID-19 and the influenza vaccine are separate vaccinations that are effective in reducing the possibility of infection with the targeted viruses, hospitalization or death. County officials strongly advise that all eligible citizens get both. Wearing a mask if possible, especially during indoor public gatherings, will help protect you and those around you.

In addition to vaccinations and masks, there are a number of other precautions San Diegans can take to protect themselves from COVID-19, as well as seasonal illnesses like the flu. These measures include:

• Thorough and frequent hand washing;
• Stay away from sick people;
• Staying at home and avoiding contact with others when they are sick;
• Home testing in case of exposure or illness;
• Regular cleaning of frequently touched surfaces.

“These steps will help protect our critical hospital capacity and your loved ones,” Kaiser said. “I also want to remind everyone that it’s never too late to get a flu shot or a bivalent COVID booster.”

Vaccination progress against COVID-19:

• Close to 2.69 million, or 80.4%, of San Diegans have received a primary dose of one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines.
• Bivalent immunizations administered: 449,633 or 18% of 2,493,367 eligible San Diegans.
• You can find more information about vaccination at coronavirus-sd.com/vaccine.

Covid19 deaths:

• 15 additional deaths have been reported since the last report on December 1, 2022. The total number of deaths in the region is 5,584.
• Of the 15 additional deaths, seven were women and eight were men. They died between March 1, 2022 and November 29, 2022. The five newly reported deaths occurred in the past two weeks.
• Ten of the people who died were 80 or older, four were in their 70s and one was in their 60s.
• 12 of those people were vaccinated, and three did not receive any vaccine against COVID-19.
• All had underlying medical conditions.

Cases, case rates and testing for COVID-19:

• In the past seven days (from November 29 to December 5, 2022), 5,649 cases of COVID-19 were reported to the county. The total number in the region now stands at 947,909.
• The 5,649 cases reported in the past week are more compared to the 3,455 infections identified in the previous week (November 22 to November 28, 2022).
• On December 3, 6,329 tests were reported to the county, and the percentage of new positives is 12% (data until December 3).
• The 14-day running percentage of positive cases, among tests reported by December 3, is 9.4%.

Flu activity

The County Agency for Health and Social Services is now publishing Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report weeks. The report is published every Thursday and tracks key indicators of respiratory illness, including flu cases and deaths.

For the week ended December 3, 2022, the report shows the following:

• Five additional flu deaths; the total for the season is now 13.
• Three of the additional flu deaths were women and two were men. They died between November 24, 2022 and November 29, 2022.
• Two of them received the flu vaccine this season, and three did not.
• All had underlying medical conditions and none of the newly reported deaths were co-infected with COVID-19.
• Emergency department visits for flu-like illness: 10% of all visits (compared to 11% the previous week).
• Laboratory-confirmed flu cases for the week: 2,583 (compared to 2,721 the previous week).
• Total laboratory-confirmed cases to date: 15,560 (compared to 539 at the same time last season and 611 previous five-year average during the same week).

More information:

Data updates for County website coronavirus-sd.com will be published on Thursdays around 5 pm, except on holidays. More information about the flu is available at the County flu website.