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Proportionately less COVID-19 hospital cases in South County
covid

Stockton — as pointed out by media covering Gov. Gavin Newsom’s visit Monday to California’s 13th largest city — is driving the current surge in COVID-19 cases.

There are 224 COVID-19 patients — 85 percent of the countywide hospitalized total of 262 — in Stockton and Lodi hospitals. Of those 262 overall patients in the county, 75 are in intensive care units with 82.75 percent or 61 in ICUs in Stockton and Lodi hospitals.

The South County — Tracy, Manteca, Mountain House, Lathrop, Ripon, Escalon and surrounding rural areas — has 35 percent or 240,000 of the county’s 760,000 residents.

There are now 9 patients in ICU beds at Doctors Hospital of Manteca and Kaiser Foundation Hospital of Manteca, up from 7 a week ago. Overall COVID-10 patients in the two hospitals are up to 23 from 20 a week ago.

The 262 hospitalized Monday for COVID-19 is a new high for San Joaquin County. It marks the 24th consecutive day hospitals have been forced to convert non-ICU licensed beds into ICU beds to handle the surge in COVID-19 patients

In a bid to help bring the surge under control San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services Administrator Dan Burch is advising people to stay home as much as possible; avoid people outside your household; wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; wear a face mask when out in public; cover your cough or sneeze; frequently clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces; maintain physical distance of six feet whenever outside of the house;  and to stay away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, there were 6,775 people within the county that have tested positive for COVID-19 and have not recovered as defined by retesting negative. Many of the 6,775 have — and never will — show symptoms while some will become ill but not sick enough to require hospitalization.

Those who don’t become ill that have tested positive as well as others who may have the virus and have not been tested who also may never get ill are all considered capable of transmitting COVID-19 to those that are vulnerable. That is why the state has mandated the seemingly healthy people need to wear face masks when required as well as social distance and wash hands to reduce the virus’s spread.

There have been 3,900 people that have recovered bringing the overall case number to 10,675 since March out of 760,000 county residents.

Thirteen people have died in the past week to put the COVID-19 death toll at 118 as of Monday.

The number of additional positive cases has been trending down. The San Joaquin County Health Department COVID-19 dashboard reported 549 new positive tests since Friday or average of 183 a day,

 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com