San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond’s weekly COVID-19 updates are one consistency in our ever-changing world, and provide San Diegans with a fresh perspective on current events.
California saw a spike in COVID-19 cases recently, but Supervisor Desmond has sought to reassure citizens that this wasn’t cause for alarmism. Test results are all input into the county numbers at once, causing a big spike in cases due to the sudden increase in results. Last Friday, over 16,000 tests were reported in one day—thankfully, with only a 4% positivity rate. Overall, the positivity rate is about 5.6%, which is a notable drop.
However, Desmond believes that positive tests are only part of the bigger picture. He placed a focus on the effect of the virus on people in his recent update. The average age for those testing positive is 37, and the average age of fatality is 78. In April, the rate of hospitalizations was 25%, which has since dropped to 9%. The death rate has also dropped from 9% to 3% in the same time frame.
Furthermore, Demond will continue to advocate for the reopening of schools as soon as possible.
We need to get our kids back in school. It is dangerous not to have schools open. The cost to our society of kids not going to school, will be detrimental for years to come. pic.twitter.com/IsMs5F9s6k
— Supervisor Jim Desmond (@jim_desmond) July 28, 2020
“I think children should be able to go to school. In San Diego County, there’s a 0.25% chance of people under the age of 18 to [even contract] the virus. We’ve even had zero deaths for anyone under the age of 19,” said Desmond. “We still need protections in place, but we need to open up our businesses and schools.”
Rational input can be difficult to come by during these times, but County Supervisor Jim Desmond continues to offer just that. San Diego is fortunate to have his clarity and leadership—especially when power-hungry politicians seek to further erode our liberty and livelihoods.
