(COVID 19 update)....Health officials had warned of a surge in the number of COVID cases during the summer.

Active cases have increased, but how high is considered a surge. In San Diego, officials say Sharpe Hospital began July with 13 COVID 19 patients hospitalized. At the end of the month there were 55 cases. That is an increase, but still a relatively low number compared to cases a year ago. In Imperial County, COVID 19 information is provided by the County Public Health Department. They released new numbers Thursday morning. According to the new numbers, there were now 32 active cases of COVID 19 in Imperial County, That is up from the 29 active cases reported Tuesday. Health officials say the warning would be for at-risk individuals to discuss with their healthcare providers to obtain medication currently available to treat the virus as soon as they test positive. The State COVID 19 Tier Metrics for Imperial County indicate 1.30 new cases per day per 100,000 population, with a 6.6% positivity rate. Fatalities attributed to the virus remain at 985.