Manteca is closing in on 75 percent of its population 12 years and older being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
As of the start of the week 64.4 percent of Manteca’s residents were fully vaccinated. Another 9.8 percent are partially vaccinated.
Lathrop’s vaccinated rate is already at 75.2 percent with another 11.8 percent partially vaccinated. The fully vaccinated in Ripon is at 58.8 percent with 8.2 percent partially vaccinated.
Escalon is on target to surpass 90 percent fully vaccinated in the next couple of weeks. Currently 80.3 percent of Escalon is fully vaccinated with 11.8 partially vaccinated.
While all South County cities exceed the statewide fully vaccinated rate of 55.1 percent and the national fully vaccinated rate of 52.1 percent, San Joaquin County overall lags slightly at 51.5 percent.
The Manteca Unified COVID dashboard as of Friday had 52 students and 16 students that were positive for COVID. That is out of more than 26,000 students and staff.
The highest campus in terms of proportion of school population at 0.98% — Nile Garden School — had 7 student cases and 2 adults that tested positive.
There was one additional death last week within the city limits of Manteca. That pushed the Manteca death toll to 124 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 23 deaths apiece in Ripon and Lathrop.
There were 59 new cases last week in Manteca. The numbers for Ripon was 21 and for Lathrop 23. Those who test positive for COVID do not necessarily fall ill or even display symptoms.
The number of Manteca residents who have been stricken with COVID since March 2000 is 8,016 or 9 percent of the population. Lathrop has had 2,738 cases and Ripon 1,595 cases.
On Tuesday, San Joaquin County Public Health Officer Dr. Maggie Park told the Board of Supervisors that COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations continue to surge and will soon bypass the rates of last summer prior to the introduction of vaccines. She said the majority of people in the hospital are those that are unvaccinated.
County statistics as of Tuesday were:
*83,121 total COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic; 1,498 deaths; 263 people hospitalized; 64 people in ICU; 50 people on ventilators
*10,739 total COVID-19 cases occurring in ages 0-17 (nearly 13% of total cases)
*425,306 total residents have been fully or partially vaccinated through the County, as well as other multi-county entities, hospital systems, and pharmacies comprising 65.4% of San Joaquin County’s total population
*52% of residents aged 12 or over are fully vaccinated and 13.4% are partially vaccinated
*34.8 daily new cases (per 100k), up from 25.6 on August 11
*8.5% positive tests for the entire county
To view a weekly update of the County’s COVID-19 statistics, visit: http://www.sjcphs.org/Disease/Epidemiology.aspx
Park discussed the latest quarantine and State public health orders which include:
*Indoor mega events have been modified and if attendance exceeds 1,000 people they are required to show verification of a recent COVID test or full vaccination
*For people who are unvaccinated and are exposed to the virus, their quarantine can end after Day 10 from the date of last exposure without testing
*For people who are unvaccinated and are exposed to the virus, their quarantine can end after Day 7 if a diagnostic specimen is collected after Day 5 from the date of last exposure and tests negative
*For people who are vaccinated, an asymptomatic exposed person does not have to quarantine if fully vaccinated but should get tested 3-5 days after exposure
Vaccination requirements apply to the following:
*Health care workers in high-risk settings
*Visitors in acute health care and Long-Term Care Settings
*Health care workers
*Workers in schools (Transitional Kindergarten to 12th Grade)
*State and local correctional facilities and detention centers
Park told the Board that residents ages 12 and over who are immuno-compromised are eligible immediately to receive a third dose of their vaccine to help ensure they are protected from the virus. Residents who are receiving cancer treatments, organ transplants, stem-cell treatments, moderate or severe immunodeficiency, advanced or untreated AIDS infection, or active treatment with medicines to suppress the immune response are urged to talk with a health care provider about whether a third dose is appropriate for their condition.
In addition, per federal guidelines, the general public is encouraged to get a booster shot eight months after their last vaccination in order to prolong their immunity.
Park also highlighted the expanded COVID-19 testing sites throughout the County as well as the testing methods that are being offered to residents. This includes the gold-standard PCR test which provides the most reliable test results, and the Rapid Antigen Test which provides an immediate test result but may provide somewhat less reliable results. She also discussed concerns with an “immunity” test being offered to the community through independent vendors and health care providers which has mixed results.
“I’m hoping the public understands that COVID antibody tests might make folks think they have immunity, but in reality, we don’t know exactly what these test results really mean in relation to the level of immunity an individual may or may not have,” Park said. “Even with a positive antibody test result, people should still get the vaccine as well as wear masks, socially distance, and wash hands in order to protect themselves and others. We have to keep up with all of those things because this test is not going to give you enough information to know if you are truly immune from the virus.”
