The number of coronavirus patients in San Diego County hospitals surged past 500 Friday, as local health officials urged residents to keep their New Year’s Eve celebrations small and safe.
There were 510 people in the county hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday, up from 475 on Thursday, according to the latest state figures. Of those patients, 110 were in intensive care, down one from the previous day.
Those numbers come one day after the county reported 5,976 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 additional deaths associated with the virus, bringing its cumulative totals to 420,089 cases and 4,461 fatalities since the pandemic began.
Those numbers come one day after the county reported 5,976 new cases of COVID-19 and 11 additional deaths associated with the virus, bringing its cumulative totals to 420,089 cases and 4,461 fatalities since the pandemic began.
Amid the dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the more contagious Omicron variant, county health officials urged limiting holiday gatherings to family and close friends.
The COVID-19 case rate is three times higher for those San Diegans who are unvaccinated compared to those who have received vaccines — 36 daily cases per 100,000 population compared to 11.4 per 100,000 for the vaccinated. Additionally, the hospitalization rate is four times higher for the unvaccinated and the death rate is seven times higher.
City News Service contributed to this article.
