Health

San Diego County COVID-19 Update – 10-24-2020

coronavirus illustration
Credit: Shutterstock
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Here is today’s COVID-19 update from the County Health and Human Services Agency with data through Oct. 23.

State Metrics:

  • San Diego County’s state-calculated, adjusted case rate is currently 7.0 per 100,000 residents, placing the County in the Red Tier.
  • The testing positivity percentage is 3.3%, placing the County in Tier 3 or the Orange Tier.
  • The state’s health equity metric looks at the testing positivity for areas with the lowest healthy conditions.
  • The County’s health equity testing positivity percentage is 5.5. This metric does not move counties to more restrictive tiers but is required to advance.
  • The California Department of Public Health will assess counties on a weekly basis, with the next report scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Community Setting Outbreaks:

  • Six new community outbreaks were confirmed on Oct. 23: two in business settings, one in a hair salon or barbershop setting, one in a restaurant, one in a restaurant/bar setting and one in a grocery setting.
  • In the past seven days (Oct. 17 through Oct. 23), 25 community outbreaks were confirmed.
  • The number of community outbreaks remains above the trigger of seven or more in seven days.
  • A community setting outbreak is defined as three or more COVID-19 cases in a setting and in people of different households over the past 14 days.

Testing:

  • 10,784 tests were reported to the County on Oct. 23, and the percentage of new laboratory-confirmed cases was 4%.
  • The 14-day rolling average percentage of positive cases is 2.8%. Target is less than 8.0%.
  • The 7-day, daily average of tests is 11,329.
  • People with and without symptoms who are at higher risk for COVID-19 should be tested. Health care and essential workers should also get a test, as well as people who had close contact to a positive case or live in communities that are being highly impacted.

Cases:

  • 386 new cases were confirmed among San Diego County residents on Oct. 23. The region’s total is now 54,314.
  • 3,842 or 7.1% of all cases have required hospitalization.
  • 885 or 1.6% of all cases and 23.0% of hospitalized cases had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.

Deaths:

  • One new COVID-19 death was reported in San Diego County on Oct. 23. The region’s total is now 868.
  • One man, aged in his mid-70s, died Oct. 23.
  • The man had underlying medical conditions.

More Information:

The more detailed data summaries found on the County’s coronavirus-sd.com website will be updated around 5 p.m. today.

Gig Conaughton is a communications specialist with the County of San Diego Communications Office. Contact