COVID-19 is making the rounds again, according to the most recent San Diego County Health Department data.
Doctors say they are seeing more cases as people spend more time traveling, seeing friends and enjoying summer break. But even as we slide back into the school year, the county's health department is warning residents to be extra careful and take precautions.
Physicians are not advising everyone to mask up but to consider wearing one and washing your hands more often if you're in a crowd or feeling ill. There are so many more tools in our toolbox this time around to deal with COVID-19 and the uptick in cases.
But it’s still a dangerous disease — just not for everyone. Dr. Andrew Eads with Sharp Memorial told NBC 7 he’s seeing more patients in ER.
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"The good news is that I’m not seeing a lot of people who are really, really sick from it. The ones who are getting admitted, who need more extensive care, tend to be those who have a lot of other problems with their health,” Eads said.
San Diego County's seven-day positivity rate last week was at 20%, according to the county's website.
Dr. Mark Beatty, with San Diego County's Epidemiology and Immunization Services, said 7,446 tests from labs, hospitals and clinics have been collected. Out of those, more than 1,400 tested positive.
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“Everybody probably knows at least a few people in their immediate social circle that have tested recently positive, and it's what the trends are reflecting in terms of total cases right now,” Beatty said.
The county's data doesn’t include at-home tests, but Beatty said it still indicates an accurate trend. The county's health department then backs that up with wastewater surveillance tracking.
While the current trend is concerning, it is a much different situation than the height of the pandemic several years ago.
“I think that the herd immunity is playing a huge role. The fact that people have gotten vaccinated is playing a huge role in reducing the severity. Even if people are getting infected and are symptomatic, we're just not seeing the complications we were seeing back then,” Eads said.
The newest variants present similarly to previous illness severity and transmissibility. So, once again, doctors are suggesting patients take precautions.
“I think personally, masking is a good idea in situations like this, but absolutely, if you're somebody who has immune compromise or other conditions that can make you more likely to have severe illness, it’s a good idea to mask,” Beatty said.
Both doctors also suggest catching up on your current flu and COVID-19 vaccine booster.
