Since April, it's been apparent that many of the coronavirus hot spots in San Diego County were in South Bay -- but that appears to be changing in the era of relaxed social distancing.
San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and south Chula Vista were notable for an early -- and prolonged -- surge in positive cases. Explanations for the COVID concentrations there were myriad: proximity to the border, density, neighborhoods with high proportions of essential workers.
Since the county relaxed its social-distancing restrictions on June 12, with bars, gyms, museums and other businesses like movie theaters reopening, infection numbers have been rising all over the county, with new hot spots emerging in far-flung locations like the tiny East County community of Dulzura, Point Loma, Fallbrook/De Luz/Rainbow in North County, the La Costa neighborhood of Carlsbad and the coastal communities of Pacific Beach/Mission Beach, where there are, of course, large concentrations of young adults, a section of the population that has seen a large increase in cases in the last month.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY 14-DAY GROWTH IN COVID CASES (JULY 7, 2020)
| 91917 (DULZURA) | 6 | 26 | 333.33% |
| 92106 (POINT LOMA/LIBERTY STATION) | 19 | 49 | 157.89% |
| 92028 (FALLBROOK/DE LUZ/RAINBOW) | 68 | 164 | 141.18% |
| 92011 (LA COSTA) | 20 | 48 | 140.00% |
| 92109 (PACIFIC BEACH/MISSION BEACH) | 113 | 262 | 131.86% |
| 92008 (CARLSBAD) | 33 | 76 | 130.30% |
| 92069 (SAN MARCOS/DEER SPRINGS) | 94 | 205 | 118.09% |
| 92078 (SAN MARCOS) | 70 | 152 | 117.14% |
| 92007 (CARDIFF) | 12 | 26 | 116.67% |
| 92009 (LA COSTA) | 47 | 99 | 110.64% |
| 92084 (VISTA/GOPHER CANYON) | 92 | 192 | 108.70% |
| 92107 (OCEAN BEACH/POINT LOMA) | 33 | 68 | 106.06% |
| 91901 (ALPINE) | 19 | 39 | 105.26% |
| 92019 (DEHESA/GRANITE HILLS) | 121 | 236 | 95.04% |
Its unclear what, exactly, is behind the spikes around the county, though some of them may certainly be caused by community outbreaks traced back to bars and indoor dining, exposure risks that were addressed on Monday when the county rolled back those openings.
Other peaks may be the result of socializing at home, beaches and community parks by county residents who are interacting with people whom are not members of their households, a practice that has been off-limits since the first county public health order was issued back in March.
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