COVID: San Joaquin County Mired In Red Tier; Hospitalizations Up As Vaccinations Slow
STOCKTON (CBS SF) – San Joaquin County continues to remain in the state's red tier of COVID-19 restrictions for the fourth week in a row partially due to social gatherings such as Easter, vaccine hesitancy and individuals not following safety protocols, county officials said at a briefing Wednesday.
As of Wednesday, the county on the outskirts of the Bay Area reported 51 residents hospitalized with 15 of them in the intensive care unit, an increase from last week's 31 cases.
The county's adjusted case rate is 8.2, which is up from the 7.7 mark it was at last week and in recent days has increased as high as 8.9.
Tiffany Heyer, an emergency planner with the county, said despite vaccines being available, vaccinations have slowed down partially because it seems as though they have oversaturated the population.
"We are waiting on some data to try and confirm some of our theories on why the decline, but it's kind of across the country... it's nationwide that we are seeing a decline," Heyer said.
However, San Joaquin County's Office of Emergency Services and Public Health Services said they will continue to provide vaccines and now many vaccination sites are offering walk-in availability rather than appointments.
"We are really putting a lot out there to try and reach people ... trying to get everybody we have access to try and change the hesitancy mindset that's out there," Heyer said.
California's latest guidelines for mask protection can be found at: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx.
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