SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego County public health officials reported 698 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths as UC San Diego Health opened a vaccination super station on its campus Monday.
The new infections are the fewest reported in a single day since Nov. 13, when 611 were reported. Monday’s data raises the aggregate coronavirus infections in the county to 247,262, while the death toll remains at 2,821.
Monday’s low numbers do come with some caveats, however. Mondays have tended to be the lowest-reporting day of the week, and just 10,523 tests were reported Monday, 7% of which were positive for the virus. The 14-day rolling average of positive tests declined over the weekend from 7.7% to 7% on Monday. The county averages 18,475 daily tests, according to data provided by the county’s Health and Human Services Agency.
On Tuesday, the case totals came in at 926, ending a 63-day streak with more than 1,000 cases, it appeared the pandemic in San Diego County was ebbing. On Wednesday, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency reported 968 new cases, but 1,598 new cases were reported on Thursday.
The HHSA reported 1,072 patients with COVID-19 in county hospitals, 326 of whom were in intensive care units, a decrease of nearly 400 hospitalized people from two weeks ago and 732 fewer than the record 1,804 patients set Jan. 12.
ICU patients with COVID-19 decreased by 82 in that two-week window. There are 38 available, staffed ICU beds in the county.
The county health agency reported eight new community outbreaks Monday, bringing the total in the past week to 70, tied to 281 cases.
UC San Diego Health opened a COVID-19 Vaccination Super Station on campus Monday, intended to serve vaccination-eligible UCSD Health patients as well as the university’s faculty and staff.
The vaccination site is operating inside UCSD’s Recreation, Intramural and Athletic Complex and is the fifth such Vaccination Super Station in the county.
The RIMAC site at 9730 Hopkins Drive is operated by UCSD Health, which also collaborates with the city, county and San Diego Padres to run a vaccination superstation adjacent to Petco Park in downtown San Diego.
Also on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the Vaccination Super Station at Petco Park and congratulated San Diego on its work administering doses at the state’s first-of-its-kind mass vaccination site, nearly one month after it opened.
The governor held his daily COVID-19 update on the infield of Petco Park, during which he said San Diego “inspired others all throughout the state of California” with its vaccination super station, where about one-third of all county residents who have been vaccinated received their doses, according to officials.
Saying he had “deep respect and deep admiration” for county leadership, Newsom said San Diego County is “leading this state, per capita, in the administration and distribution of this vaccine.”
More than 13% of San Diegans age 16 and over have received at least one of the two shots required to develop antibody protection against the virus. Around 2.4% of the population over the age of 16 is fully vaccinated.
San Diego County coronavirus inoculation sites have received 597,925 doses of vaccine and administered 466,035 doses, according to the HHSA.