San Joaquin County Public Health Officer Dr. Maggie Park told the Board of Supervisors yesterday that COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations continue to increase but appear to be leveling off. COVID-19 case rates have slightly risen from 22 per 100,000 on May 23rd to 33 per 100,000 on June 20th . This is likely due to the latest Omicron variants, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 which are all highly transmissible.

San Joaquin County COVID-19 latest statistics as of June 20, 2022:

• 178,083 total COVID-19 cases; 2,247 deaths; 46 people hospitalized; 4 patients in ICU
• 65% of San Joaquin County’s total population are fully vaccinated.

To view weekly updates of the County’s COVID-19 statistics, visit: San Joaquin County Public COVID Dashboard

Dr. Park gave an update on the latest Omicron variants explaining to the Board that the current variants circulating in the United States include BA.2 at 9.1%; BA 2.12.1 at 56%; BA.4 at 11.4%; and BA.5 at 23.5%. “While we all want COVID19 to be a thing of the past, these highly contagious variants continue to mutate causing continued transmission and hospitalization. The good news is that while people continue to get COVID-19, their risk of hospitalization and death has decreased dramatically due to vaccinations and boosters.”

Dr. Park shared details regarding COVID-19 cases and vaccinations for children ages 6 months – 17 years. She said that over 13 million children in the U.S. have contracted COVID-19 and that it is in the top five causes of death for this age group. Here in California, 1.68 million kids in this age range have had COVID-19 with over 10,400 of them going to the hospital and at least 71 who have died from the virus. She said the CDC just authorized pediatric doses of COVID-19 vaccines for young children as follows:

• A two-dose Moderna vaccine series is recommended for children ages 6 months through 5 years.
• A three-dose Pfizer vaccine series is recommended for children ages 6 months through 4 years.

Dr. Park said Public Health has received these pediatric doses and will be hosting a mass vaccination event this Saturday, June 25, to immunize children 6 months – 4 years old. The event will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at 620 N. Aurora Street in Stockton. COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for anyone 5 years and older will also be available.

Dr. Park reported that three “test to treat” sites have been set up throughout the County at no cost, with another site to open up very soon. An additional eleven locations are providing free Rapid Antigen Test kits. The County has also distributed 58,320 free at-home rapid antigen tests to local cities as well as the University of the Pacific and Delta College. Another 23,878 testing kits have been distributed to community-based and faith-based organizations for countywide distribution.

• Residents are encouraged to check www.MyTurn.ca.gov or SJReady.org for information about testing and vaccine locations and hours of operation.
• Up to 8 free at-home, COVID-19 tests are available through www.COVIDtests.gov.

The Board also received an update on the San Joaquin County Public COVID Dashboard which has been recently upgraded so that residents can access a reader-friendly overview of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccination rates. The new dashboard also provides more in-depth analysis from expert epidemiologists of metrics such as who is getting COVID-19; what geographic areas are seeing more cases of the virus; what age groups are more likely to contract COVID-19; what age groups are more likely to die from the disease; and many other data points. The dashboard can also be easily accessed by a mobile phone or tablet.

Supervisor Chuck Winn, Chair of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors stated, “It is clear that the public is over COVID-19 and the things they’ve endured during the past two years. They want to move on. In the future, I hope we’ve learned from past experiences, what worked and what didn’t. Resources such as the new COVID-19 dashboard provide an excellent tool to keep the public informed about what’s happening in real-time and what to expect in their community as the virus continues to evolve.”

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