With COVID-19 infections on the rise countywide, health officials said Wednesday they are investigating a rapidly growing number of outbreaks, particularly in non-residential settings that have seen a five-fold increase over the past two weeks.
Overall, the county reported another 2,454 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, lifting the cumulative total from throughout the pandemic to 1,290,226. Another 15 fatalities were reported, raising the county’s death toll from the virus to 24,658. The average daily rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 also continued its slow climb, reaching 6.05% — the first time since early February the rate has topped 6%, according to the county Department of Public Health.
The number of people hospitalized in the county due to COVID crossed the 900 mark on Wednesday, with state figures putting the patient number at 918, up from 891 on Tuesday. There were 200 people being treated in intensive care, up from 195 a day earlier. The numbers, while increasing, are still well below the more than 8,000 people hospitalized during the winter surge.
According to the county, the Department of Public Health was investigating 140 ongoing outbreaks — defined as three or more cases in a single location — as of Wednesday, a 155% jump from the 55 outbreaks that were being investigated the week of July 12. Of the 140 investigations, 40% are in non-healthcare, non-residential workplaces.
Health officials said such outbreaks in non-residential settings — including workplaces, food and retail stores and places of worship — have increased five-fold since July 12. The county noted, however, that at the height of the winter surge in February, 1,130 outbreaks were being investigated.
“With the highest case rates occurring among people ages 18 to 49 years old, who comprise much of our workforce, workplaces can easily contribute to the spread of the virus,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “Unvaccinated employees interacting with other workers or the public are at elevated risk for COVID infection that can then spread easily from worksite to family members and to community residents.”
The county has been urging people to get vaccinated, while noting that the numbers of people receiving their first dose has been holding steady or even slightly increasing in recent weeks.
Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that given the numbers of people who are vaccinated in the county, she remains hopeful the county won’t see a repeat of the winter surge in hospitalizations — when more than 8,000 people were being treated in medical centers.
According to Ferrer, of all the people hospitalized in the county in June, 92% were either unvaccinated entirely or not fully vaccinated. The figure was 95% in May. For the first 10 days of July, the rate is 91%. Among people dying from the virus, 99.8% of the COVID fatalities in the county during the first six month of the year occurred among the unvaccinated, Ferrer said. The rate was 96% from April 1 to June 30, a period during which vaccines were more widely available.
Health officials have repeatedly blamed the recent surge in cases on the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The variant was first discovered in India and is blamed for rampant infections in that country, along with outbreaks in the United Kingdom. It is now spreading across the United States, contributing to rising case numbers and hospitalizations.
Young Black and Latino residents continue to have the lowest rates of vaccination in the county. County figures show that as of last week, 46.6% of the county’s Black population age 16 and older have received at least one dose, compared to 56% of Latinos, 66.8% of white residents and 76.9% of Asians. As a result, Black residents also have the highest rate of new infections. During the two-week period ending July 17, Black residents had an infection rate of 309 per 100,000 residents, up from 52 per 100,000 a month earlier. White residents had the second-highest infection rate, at 150 per 100,000, followed by Latinos at 104 per 100,000 and Asians at 61 per 100,000.
Black residents also had the highest rate of hospitalizations during that two-week period, at 23.4 per 100,000 residents.
Most recent figures from the county show that about 71% of residents age 16 and older have received at least one dose of COVID vaccine, and 62% are fully vaccinated. Among seniors age 65 and older, 88% have received at least one dose, and 79% are fully vaccinated. In hopes of encouraging more people to get vaccinated, the county is continuing to offer incentives. Through Thursday, anyone who gets vaccinated at sites operated by the county will be entered for a chance to win one of seven three- concert ticket packages at AEG venues, for a variety of acts.
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Koolaid Man says
So the data basically shows that the spread of covid is no longer Asians fault but is now blacks fault. Don’t let the red hats figure that out.
William says
Did you miss that it’s killing Repubes in the orange states?
They don’t want to wear masks.
They don’t want to get vaccinated.
They are the dumbest people on earth and Trump’s base.
Biden should tell Republicans “Don’t hold you breath till you pass out. Don’t eat wild mushrooms.”. ”
They will refuse and do the opposite.
Right?
Right.
Koolaid Man says
Well yes but this data is Local so Red hats here only see that. Oh and its Fake.
Oh of course. If Biden says everyone should go buy a gun, they’d come out and say “No!!!! Only responsible (White) people can own guns. We need universal background checks.”
Gerald says
Lets focus on the illegals that test positive for covid first. Nancy likes to hand everything out to the non-citizens first, so hand out punishments for doing the illegal act of crossing the boarder and then talk to the citizens. These people are left out of the data when reporting upticks in covid.
William says
Well, Gerald.
What did you have to say when last year Trump was the SUPERSPREADER holding rallies all over the countryside and people were getting infected?
Plus, over 50 people in and around the White House were infected and Trump had to go to Walter Reed because he had COVID, and Melania and Little Don and the town squeeze Kimberly Guilfoyle and Eric and the rest.
Sheesh, Gerald. How did that get past you as well-informed as you think you are?
Trump has done more damage to this country than all the illegal aliens ever have. Trump is responsible for more unnecessary deaths of Americans than al Qaida.
Why are you fine with that?
A non-response is all you can muster isn’t it?
Markus says
As a sign of respect to Nancy Pelozi kindly submit, to the democrats’ permanent mask mandate.
Jimbo says
… the coronavirus effectively politicized, wearing your mask is now a form of virtue signaling, implying your tacit submission and approval of the national socialist democrats –
William says
Looky Jimbo/Gerald/Markus
Not wearing a mask is a sign of ignorance worthy of a 6 year old who won’t eat broccoli.
Don’t wear mask.
Die.
More masks for us.
Derrick Hernandez says
While I understand your frustration, Unless you wear an N-95 mask you aren’t really protected from Covid. People who choose not to wear a mask aren’t necessarily ignorant as much as they are selfish. Wearing a mask help to protect others from you. It helps to prevent particulates from leaving your mouth and landing on someone else. Basically people who refuse to wear a mask are saying that they have no respect for others. They don’t care about the fact that they could be spreading any virus’ or diseases to others. They basically only care about themselves.
William says
Last year, I saw a movie on TCM called “A Killer in New York(1950) based on a true story.
“a real smallpox outbreak in New York City in 1947. Millions of New Yorkers were vaccinated against the disease – without causing panic.”
So, millions of New Yorkers were vaccinated and I’m guessing y’all didn’t hear about that smallpox epidemic in New York City. Wonder why?
We were able to snip that epidemic in the bud but now, with one politcal party and its Fox ‘news’ propaganda machine, it still rages as right wingers being obstinate by not wearing masks or getting vaccinated continue spreading COVID.
We didn’t have it like this under Obama/Biden with earlier pandemics nor a stock market crash and a recession. But for Trump, we might have handled this much, much better.
Biden is doing a good job considering what he inherited and the opposition from the GOP leaders. their followers and Fox ‘news’ who only recently decided to say “Get vaccinated” only after they realized it was killing its base in the orange states.
William says
You are correct about them only caring about themselves.
There are many who aren’t wearing masks and not getting vaccines either.
So, companies are going to not allow their workers to come in unless vaccinated. Hopefully, trains, planes and Uber automobiles will do the same with those people.
Consider COVID worse than second-hand smoke and what we did with smokers and “their rights”. Their rights were affecting others. Same here with COVID.
So, if we discover that China did indeed create COVID in a lab, will that stop stupid Americans from not wearing masks or getting vaccines or having desperately the need to go to a bar or restaurant regardless of the pandemic.
I thought our country was smarter, better and more advanced than we now see. But, I didn’t count on the Trumpers to be so stupid.
But, that’s on me. I shoulda known that if they voted for Trump they were stupid and this was inevitable. The stupid Bush Jr. voters shoulda clued me in that he would invade the wrong country in response to 9/11. I did predict the crash in 2008 however. I can explain why if you are interested.
As for the GOP, all their failed responses are part of a piece. They are not isolated occurances in case anyone thought that.
The Republicans can’t govern worth beans nor protect its citizens from harm, foreign and especially DOMESTIC as we now see they are beholden to not really white supremacists. The fools that stormed the Capital were not supreme other than supreme idiots. They took selfies of themselves committing crimes and making it easy to arrest them.
You call that “supreme” Beecee, Sonya aka Pu$$y, Trumpist#1 and those other computer generated names like Yolanda and Belinda? LOL
The Prosecution won’t rest.
Tim Scott says
That’s why I don’t wear an N-95 mask, just a simple cloth. I know it is catching the droplets I breathe out, because it gets damp. So IF I have contracted something, I won’t spread it. This is just very basic personal accountability that I really would have thought the Republicans would be all over. Having them be the poster children for irresponsible childish behavior really shows just how badly the party has been damaged by Trumpism.
William says
Oh, those darn masks.
The first few months last year when I kept mine in my pocket, I’d pull it out to wear into Smart n Final and for a moment would wonder “Whose black thong is this?”
Well, after a while I put a string on the ear loops to hang it around my neck like reading glasses. But, then, I kept putting the mask over my eyes and the glasses over my mouth.
God. Last year was so difficult. I empathize with the mask dodgers.
Matt says
Fox News watcher here. There’s that same parroted phrase again. U guys lose all credibility when u use an entertainment channel as news. Please try again.