As our nation continues to cope with the devastating health and financial impacts brought about by the coronavirus, San Diego County has made significant progress in the fight and we are gradually moving to reopen our society.
But we recognize that the battle is not over, and we are elevating our response as we learn more about the virus.
That is especially true in South County, where concerns have been raised about the number of positive COVID-19 cases.
As we have heard from our medical experts, there are attributing factors that play into the high number of cases in South County, including the large population figures; the surge in cases at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, which is the largest outbreak in our region; and cases of U.S. citizens who live in Baja California and have crossed the border to get medical care in our region.
To address the cases in South County, we have taken several significant steps.
We initially had opened a small testing site at the County Health Live Well Center on Oxford Street but we have since replaced that with a larger testing site at the old Sears building inside the Chula Vista mall, in partnership with the State.
The new site can do up to 264 tests a day and a doctor’s referral is not necessary to get an appointment at this site. Appointments can be made online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
More testing is soon to come. We are working to add testing sites in National City, San Ysidro and Imperial Beach. We are also planning to deploy County Library bookmobiles to serve as County vehicles for testing throughout the region.
Aside from testing, our Border Unified Command Team is in direct communication with officials in Baja California to provide medical advice and monitor cases in our border region. And we are still reaching out to U.S. federal authorities requesting additional assistance on both sides of the border to slow the spread of the virus.
In the end, we must be united as a region in fighting coronavirus and that means all of us taking individual actions, like covering our faces and maintaining social distancing. Until a vaccine is developed, it is those individual actions that collectively will flatten the curve of the disease.
To stay updated, please visit my website at www.GregCox.com where we have a link to the County’s coronavirus website, along with a useful list of resources for families impacted by this pandemic.
We will remain strong and committed in our effort to protect South County and our entire region until this crisis is over!
Cox represents District 1 which includes Chula Vista Bonita and National City.
