Officials remain mum on Lodi COVID numbers
The California Department of Public Health has created a website that breaks down the number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 by county, as well as by health care facility.
To learn how many COVID-19 cases are being treated at hospitals, a user places their cursor over a silhouette map of California on the website and locates their county by its shape.
Hospitals on the website aren’t named, but rather identified as circles with names such as “Hospital in San Joaquin County” or “Hospital in Stanislaus County.”
In San Joaquin County, the CDPH was reporting a total of 91 COVID-19 patients being treated in hospitals on Tuesday, 22 of which are currently being treated at intensive care units.
There are two circles overlapping the county’s shape on the website, one located to the southwest and another to the northeast.
Moving a cursor over the northeast circle, a user will learn that 22 patients are being treated for COVID-19 at “Hospital in San Joaquin County,” with six admitted to ICUs.
Local, county and state health officials would not confirm whether this northeast circle is Adventist Health Lodi Memorial.
Marisa Matta, a specialist with San Joaquin County Emergency Services, said the only information regarding hospitalizations that will be released to the public is what is being reported on the San Joaquin County Public Health Services dashboard at www.sjcphs. org.
“(Specific hospital numbers) is something we don’t release, and we’ve never released,” she said. “And it’s something we probably won’t do.”
Krista Dommer, spokeswoman for county Public Health Services, said her department does not have that information.
In an email response to the News-Sentinel, the CDPH said it would look into the numbers, but suggested contacting a local health department for confirmation.
According to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard as of last Friday, there had been 138 positive cases in Lodi since the pandemic began, with 95 reported in the 95240 area code, and 43 in the 95242 area code.
There have been a total of 2,560 positive cases of COVID-19 in the county — county numbers are updated daily — and 48 deaths, while 1,225 people have recovered.
On Saturday, Adventist Health announced it would be temporarily suspending admissions of non-COVID19 patients, due to positive cases reported among its own staff.
The hospital said less than 30 team members had tested positive for the virus over the course of a week, with many showing no symptoms.
The emergency room and clinics, as well as the hospital’s labor and delivery and post-partum units will remain open.
On Tuesday, the hospital did not comment about the data reported on the state’s website breaking down hospitalizations by county and facility.
Proactive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have been taken at the hospital since the pandemic began, officials said, following the guidance of the state and local health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Currently, anyone entering the hospital or other clinical locations, including associates and physicians, are screened for COVID-19 symptoms before entry. Masks are required in all locations.
“Adventist Health Lodi Memorial has an adequate supply of (personal protective equipment) to care for all patients and staff, and we’re not experiencing any shortages,” hospital spokeswoman Lauren Nelson said. “The number of staff members who have tested positive is a small percentage of the hospital’s overall workforce. We are not experiencing any staffing issues, and we’re able to care for patients in every area.”
Nelson added the hospital has not admitted or treated any patients from outside Lodi.
The CDPH’s website with county and hospital breakdowns can be found at