COVID fatalities climb in Sac County, as delta deaths trend toward younger adults

More Sacramento County residents died of COVID19 in August than in the previous three months combined, and health officials say the virus fatalities are trending among younger adults during the delta variant surge than in previous waves.

The county’s online data dashboard showed 125 coronavirus deaths last month, compared to 33 in May, 28 in June and 53 in July. Last month’s total that will continue to grow as more deaths are confirmed from late in the month, but August is already the county’s deadliest month of the pandemic since February, when 159 died.

The county is currently averaging about five new deaths reported per day, health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said on a call with reporters Thursday.

The median age of COVID-19 deaths over the past 30 days was 64, compared to 76 for the entire pandemic, county epidemiology program manager Jamie White said.

White said more than half of deaths in the past month have been people younger than 65, who had made up less than onequarter of deaths up to that point.

“We’re still not seeing pediatric deaths, but we are seeing much younger deaths than we have previously,” White said on Thursday’s call.

The county has not confirmed any COVID-19 deaths younger than 18 years old. But it has seen more pediatric hospitalizations, including 13 children in hospital beds with the virus as of a Wednesday update.

The decrease in the median age for fatalities is likely due to older populations’ high vaccination rates. About 74% of county residents ages 65 and older are fully vaccinated and 80% have had at least one dose, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Black residents have also made up a significant portion of the recent deaths — they represent about 12% of the county’s deaths for the entire pandemic, but 24% of fatalities in just the past 30 days, White said.

Kasirye said there are likely “multiple factors” for African-American residents being disproportionately affected.

About 60% of all Sacramento County residents are at least partially vaccinated, according to state health data updated Thursday; just 44% of Black residents in the county have received at least one shot.