COVID-19 Local Situation

Last updated 7/19/2024.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a coronavirus discovered in 2019. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spans worldwide and affects many people.   

See below, or click the following links, to learn more about:

County of San Diego Efforts

Effective July 20, 2024, the Health Officer of the County of San Diego Orders as follows:

  • All general acute care hospitals within San Diego county shall resume reporting all hospitalized COVID-19 and/of influenza cases into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network.

Actions after February 28, 2023

  • COVID-19 Innovative Strategies that will continue include:     
    • Rapid Deployment of Testing, 
    • Leveraging  Live Well San Diego  Sector Engagement, 
    • Communication, 
    • Health Equity, 
    • Mass Vaccination, 
    • Wastewater Surveillance and Whole Genome Sequencing, 
    • Community Health Workers/Promotoras, and 
    • Outreach to Long-Term Care Facilities.
  • The County will continue its COVID-19 Test, Trace, Treat (T3) and Vaccinate activities.
  • The COVID-19 Response After Action Report was released on April 20, 2023. The report identified many strengths in the County's response and also included 16 recommendations for improvement.
    • 5 of these recommendations support the County continuing actions already taken.

Actions from February 14, 2020 through February 24, 2023

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Changes Related to the End of Federal, State, and Local Emergencies

  • The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated the State Public Health Officer Order for COVID-19 Disease Control & Prevention on January 9, 2024.
    • Updated masking recommendations.
    • Updated definitions for:
      • Close contact:
        • In indoor spaces 400,000 or fewer cubic feet per floor (such as homes, clinic waiting rooms, airplanes, etc.): sharing the same indoor airspace for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three separate 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes) during a confirmed case's infectious period.
        • In large indoor spaces greater than 400,000 cubic feet per floor (such as open-floor-plan offices, warehouses, large retail stores, manufacturing, or food processing facilities): being within 6 feet of the confirmed case for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period during the confirmed case's infectious period.
      • Confirmed case: ​​A person who has received a positive result of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus as confirmed by a COVID-19 viral test or clinical diagnosis.
      • Infectious period (for the purpose of isolation and exclusion of confirmed cases):
        • Symptomatic confirmed cases: from the day of symptom onset until 24 hours have passed with no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications, AND symptoms are mild and improving.
        • Asymptomatic confirmed cases: there is no infectious period for the purposes of isolation or exclusion. If symptoms develop, the criteria above will apply.
      • Outbreak (for the purposes of defining an outbreak in non-healthcare settings): At least three COVID-19 cases during a 7-day period.
    • This Order supersedes the previous State Public Health Orders.
  • The federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ended on May 11, 2023.
    • Vaccines and treatments will remain available.
    • National reporting of COVID-19 may change. 
      • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has the appropriate data for this phase of COVID-19. This data provides understanding of what is happening with the virus in real-time.
    • COVID-19 Hospital Admission Levels replaced COVID-19 Community Levels to guide prevention decisions. 
  • Following the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory action, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) expressed their support on April 19, 2023, for the following new recommendations:
    • Allow an additional updated vaccine dose for adults ages 65 years and older, and additional doses for people with a weakened immune system.
    • No longer recommend monovalent (original) mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for use in the U.S.
  • CDPH announced updates to several state public health officer orders on  March 3, 2023.
    • Effective April 3, 2023:
      • No longer require vaccination for healthcare workers.
        • However, per Federal Guidance for Staff Vaccination Requirements, all Medicare-and Medicaid-certified providers must ensure that all applicable staff are vaccinated with COVID-19 primary series. 
        • Federal regulations 42 CFR 483.80(d)(3) and  42 CFR 483.460(a)(4)(i) also require that Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) must offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents, clients, and staff onsite when supplies are available to the facility.
      • Removed masking requirements in high-risk settings. However, healthcare facilities and local health jurisdictions may customize and implement plans to recommend or require universal masking based on risk of exposure for high-risk individuals and settings.
        • County Public Health Services strongly recommends masking in acute healthcare settings (i.e., hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and long-term care facilities) when engaged in direct patient care.
      • Rescinded an order  that required hospitals statewide to accept transfer patients from facilities with limited Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity as needed.
      • Rescinded an order  that required providers to ask patients for their email addresses and/or mobile phone numbers when receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
      • Rescinded the August 5, 2021 State Public Health Officer Order. 
    • Effective March 13, 2023:
      • Updated recommendations on isolation for persons infected with COVID-19.
      • Updated definition of infectious period.
      • Included definition of confirmed case. 
      • Removed requirements in Mega Events and K-12 Schools and Child Care. 
  • The statewide State of Emergency proclaimed on March 4, 2020 is terminated effective February 28, 2023. Any Executive Orders related to the terminated State of Emergency are no longer in effect as of February 28, 2023.
    • Local Health Officer Orders have been  rescinded.
    • Isolation and quarantine actions are in alignment with the CDPH.

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School Notifications

School Administrators and Employers,  visit the COVID-19 Outbreak Reporting webpage.

  • From January 1, 202, to December 31, 2022, AB 685 (Chapter 85, Statutes of 2020) mandated that non-healthcare employers report COVID-19 outbreaks to local health departments.
  • Effective January 1, 2023, non-healthcare employer reporting of outbreaks to local health departments is voluntary.
    • This does not apply to healthcare ssettings, residential congregate settings, schools, or daycare settings/nurseries.
  • As of April 15, 2023, based on the workplace setting type, please send an email to the appropriate address. 

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Contact the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499, or send an e-mail, for more information.