Source of county’s hospital surge unknown

The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services said it cannot pinpoint the source of a recent spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

On Wednesday, the San Joaquin County Emergency Medical Services reported a 44..2% increase in hospitalizations over the last week, and that intensive care units in the county’s seven hospitals were operating at 113%.

“Our seven hospitals have not been able to identify the cause,” OES specialist Marisa Matta said Thursday. “They are all reporting that they are doing well with staffing levels and (personal protective equipment), but there’s no outbreak we’re aware of at any of them or identifiable cause.”

Matta said it is unknown if other California counties are experiencing similar COVID-19 surges, but noted there have been increases in other parts of the country, particularly Michigan.

A state with the lowest COVID19 infection rates over the last year, Michigan is seeing its third surge in cases, rising from 1,687 to 3,753 in a week as of March 25

— a 122% increase.

As of Thursday, there were 64 patients being treated for COVID-19 in San Joaquin County hospitals, a 3.2% increase from the previous day. There were 20 people being treated for the virus in ICUs, the same number as Wednesday.

Adventist Health Lodi Memorial was treating seven people for

COVID Thursday, an increase of one over the course of 24 hours.

After a week of decreases, the number of positive COVID-19 cases increased from Wednesday as well.

San Joaquin County Public Health Services said there were 85 new cases reported Thursday, up from 65 the previous day.

The county has also reached 1,300 COVID-19 deaths as of Thursday, public health reported, and is likely to eclipse 70,000 cases by the end of the week.