San Diego County public health officials reported a record 2,287 news cases of coronavirus and eight more deaths on Saturday.
Daily cases have skyrocketed from 200 to 300 a day in October to over 2,000 the past two days.
The latest report brings the county’s pandemic total to 90,468 cases and 1,055 fatalities.
There are currently 779 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals, with 202 of them in intensive care.
“We continue to see a record number of COVID-19 cases resulting in more hospitalizations and thus an increase in ICU admissions,” Dr. Eric McDonald, the county’s medical director of epidemiology.
San Diego and 10 other counties in Southern California will begin a new, three-week lockdown at midnight Sunday to try to slow the growth of the pandemic.