SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego's COVID case rate continues to increase at a pace the local county public health officer said she's never seen.
The unprecedented number of cases and hospitalizations are expected to rise. The county reported over 10,000 new COVID cases each day over the weekend and Monday in San Diego County.
“These are the highest number of cases we have ever reported,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego County Public Health Officer.
During the San Diego County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Wooten reported case rates among unvaccinated are three times higher and hospitalizations are four times higher than fully vaccinated residents.
She said 80-90% of the cases reported are omicron variant and the remaining 10-20% is the aggressive and deadly delta variant.
“Many models and projections predict that cases will peak in the next couple of weeks,” said Wooten.
She said models show hospitalizations tend to spike after cases reach their peak.
“Based on these scenarios it is predicted that the hospital census may meet or exceed the peak observed last winter and the peak may also occur during the third week of January,” said Wooten.
Under the CDC Levels of Community Transmission San Diego County joins all but two counties in California who are in the highest tier. San Diego County's weekly case rate per 100,000 is also higher than the U.S. and the state.
Scripps Research's leading infectious disease researcher Sumit Chanda, PhD., said although omicron is not as deadly it is highly transmissible which is driving the surge in hospitalizations.
“The more people that you get infected, the sheer number of people that are going to go to the hospital, become higher,” said Chanda.
Pfizer and Moderna are hoping to slow the spread by releasing a vaccine that will target the omicron variant. Pfizer says it will be ready by March and Moderna’s by the fall. That is after the fifth wave of coronavirus is expected to sweep through the county.
“Right now, the clear and present danger is getting through this current and hopefully last spike or wave of this pandemic,” said Chanda.
Researchers predict omicron will be the dominant strain and has reached its optimal level.
“It's going to be very hard for a new variant to achieve the level of transmission that we've seen or [are] seeing with omicron. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's unlikely,” said Chanda.
Once the omicron vaccine is available, Dr. Chanda said like the other COVID vaccines, those eligible will need to wait five months from their last COVID shot and he doesn't recommend you hold off and wait to get the omicron booster.
“The best vaccine is the vaccine you can get right now,” said Chanda.
During the County Board of Supervisors meeting Chairman Nathan Fletcher told San Diegans the worst is almost over but not quite yet.
“I feel confident as a region, we have weathered so much, that we will get through this as well and have to bear down and hunker down,” said Fletcher.
In the U.S. if you are immuno-compromised you are eligible for the fourth dose if it’s been five months since your last COVID shot.
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