The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 2,050 new cases of coronavirus Thursday and 11 more deaths as regional ICU capacity fell to 7.7%.
Out of 28,814 test results received in the past day, 7.1% were positive, and the 14-day rolling average of positive tests rose to 7.7%.
San Diego still has higher ICU capacity than the rest of the Southern California region at 20.7%, but the situation is becoming dire in adjacent Orange and Imperial Counties.
“Hospitals are overwhelmed with admitted patients to both the floors and the ICUs. At the current rate of deterioration, the EMS system may collapse unless emergency directives are implemented now,” the Orange County Health Care Agency warned hospitals on Thursday.
And Imperial County reportedly had only two ICU beds left on Wednesday as cases surged. During the first wave in July, patients from the rural county had to be transferred to other counties.
In San Diego County, the latest victims of COVID-19 were eight women and three men aged from their early 70s to late 80s.
There were 13 new community outbreaks, for a total of 68 over the past week.
Since the first local case in March, there have been 99,599 cases and 1,114 deaths.
