Moments later, the county announced that San Diego has logged 195 confirmed flu cases in 2021, an uptick from the region’s five-year average of 128 cases by mid-October. Wednesday morning, Supervisor Fletcher publicly received his flu vaccine. Public health officials are also pushing hard for everyone to get flu shots as the region heads into the fall and winter months. Roughly 344,000 San Diegans are in that age range and, depending on what the FDA and CDC decide, could be eligible by the end of the month. 26, the FDA’s advisory panel will meet to discuss Pfizer’s bid to offer its vaccine to kids 5 to 11. 20, Pfizer announced that a study of its vaccine among more than 2,260 kids showed the shots were safe and sparked strong immune responses. There’s one group of residents who still aren’t eligible for vaccination: children younger than 12. That figure dwarfs differences in so-called breakthrough infection rates among the fully vaccinated, with rates of 2, 2.5 and 3.5 cases per 1,000 residents for the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, respectively. Over the last month, about 9.6 out of every 1,000 residents who weren’t fully vaccinated got a coronavirus infection. Sawyer emphasized that the main way to end the pandemic remains to vaccinate the unvaccinated. “If I had to guess, by the time we get all done, the recommendation for Moderna and J&J is likely going to be the same as it finally ended up for Pfizer,” he said. Mark Sawyer, an infectious-disease expert at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, served on the advisory panels that recommended that the FDA authorize all three vaccines, and he recently voted to endorse boosters of Pfizer’s shots. Those who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines are not eligible for boosters, but that could change soon.ĭr. That includes healthcare workers, grocery clerks and people in homeless shelters.
Starting late last month, those who had received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago became eligible for a third shot if they were 65 or older or at risk of severe COVID-19 based on their health or living and working conditions. The divide between the vaccinated and unvaccinated could grow as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention roll out booster shots. Statewide numbers of new coronavirus infections and COVID-19 hospitalizations have been falling for weeks, but daily death counts have remained high. And 31 of the 37 additional COVID-19 deaths the county has reported since last week have been among those who weren’t fully immunized.Ĭalifornia 70,000 Californians have died from COVID-19 County figures released last week showed that residents who weren’t fully vaccinated accounted for 75% of infections, 98% of hospitalizations and 86% of COVID-19 deaths between mid-September and mid-October. It’s clear that those who aren’t fully vaccinated are bearing the brunt of the pandemic. By comparison, roughly 80% of San Diegans 12 and older are fully vaccinated, which is also above the statewide rate of 72%. County’s Public Health Department that’s the age group that’s currently eligible. About 70% of Angelenos 12 and older are fully immunized, says L.A. One potential reason for this improvement even without a mask mandate is that San Diego has a higher vaccination rate than Los Angeles. And the number of San Diegans hospitalized with COVID-19 has dipped from 537 a month ago to 287. The percentage of tests coming back positive has also dipped from 8.8% in early August to 3.1% at the end of September, according to the latest local report. The city of San Diego won’t mandate vaccination for entry into indoor spaces either, said Courtney Pittam, press secretary for Mayor Todd Gloria, unless the county changes its guidance. In response to an inquiry from the San Diego Union-Tribune, the California Department of Public Health said individual counties can take pandemic precautions that are stricter than the state’s stance. It also doesn’t seem that the state plans to issue a vaccine mandate. “At this time, San Diego County has no plans to mandate vaccines at local businesses.” “Our vaccination rates are some of the highest in the nation and our COVID cases are clearly declining,” Fletcher said in a statement. Nathan Fletcher, chair of the Board of Supervisors, said San Diego County won’t follow suit.
FACEBOOK GROWTH TO DECELERATE MANDATES VACCINE FULL
The Wednesday announcement came a week after the Los Angeles City Council voted 11 to 2 to require proof of full vaccination at indoor venues throughout the city. Officials say they don’t plan to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry into San Diego County restaurants, shopping centers and other indoor settings.