COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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The Mystery of How The Bay Area Has Dodged The Most Contagious COVID-19 Strain - So Far
B.1.1.7, the coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom in December, is expanding its dangerously infectious empire across the U.S., especially in Los Angeles and some other areas of the state. But it’s just a minor player, so far, in the Bay Area. This mysterious power struggle offers a riveting lesson in viral behavior and evolution, as the Machiavellian new variant seeks to dominate a landscape long ruled by less aggressive strains. Mercury News Read more
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Bay Area Employers More Likely to Require Vaccinations Against Coronavirus Than Other U.S. Regions
Businesses mostly have the power to require employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. But while many businesses across the nation are deciding against vaccine mandates - to avoid facing privacy concerns and the potential for a public uproar by defiant employees - those in the Bay Area are more likely to ask their employees to get the shots. Recent data from a U.S. census small business survey done during the second full week in April shows that some local Bay Area businesses have not been deterred from requiring proof of vaccinations. SF Chronicle Read more
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Why The Bay Area Still Hasn’t Spent $1.7 Billion in COVID Stimulus Money
Nearly two months after President Joe Biden signed a COVID stimulus bill directing $1.7 billion in relief funds to the Bay Area’s public transportation agencies, that money has not yet been spent - even as many transit systems keep pandemic-related service cuts in place. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which is responsible for distributing the funds to BART, Caltrain and two-dozen other bus, train and ferry operators, is still determining how it wants to divvy that money up and ensure the various agencies’ long-term health. A coalition of transit employee unions and riders say the delay is unacceptable. Mercury News Read more
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Did Alameda County Have a Huge COVID Surge?
No. Here's What Happened
Alameda County’s coronavirus case count increased by more than 1,350 last week, raising concern over a possible surge amid California’s falling COVID-19 numbers.
But did the county really experience a 581% spike in infections while every other county in the Bay Area showed steady numbers? No. It turns out the jump was the result of the state tabulating long-backlogged cases, county officials said. SF Chronicle Read more
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49ers, Santa Clara County Team Up For Teen Vaccinations
The San Francisco 49ers are joining up with Santa Clara County to host three nights of COVID-19 vaccinations at Levi’s Stadium for teenagers, including offering perks to encourage them to get a shot. The vaccinations will be open to students and teens between the ages of 16 and 19 and their families from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., May 11 to 13. And the free shots come with some swag and other fun experiences: Teens who get the shot may get to visit an NFL locker room, download free codes to play a 49ers video game, and more. Mercury News Read more
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Bottoms Up! S.F. Bars Reopen Indoors At 25% Capacity, No Food Required
For the first time in more than a year, San Francisco bars can serve drinks indoors without offering meals - and patrons slowly found their way to their favorite watering holes over the weekend. The momentous change happened Friday, days after San Francisco reached the yellow tier, the least restrictive in California’s color-coded reopening system. Until then, bars could reopen only if they served food in addition to drinks. SF Chronicle Read more
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Will Bay Area Schools Be Back Or Still Have "Distance Learning" This Fall?
As frustrated as she is watching her boys stare for hours at teachers on a computer screen while virus cases plummet and California reopens, an even greater worry weighs on Jennifer Keef: Will this still be the Gilroy Unified school experience in the fall? Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state leaders say they “expect” campuses to reopen fully in the next academic year that will start in August, and note that the state authorization allowing remote “distance learning” during the pandemic expires at the end of June. Mercury News Read more
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Rotary Club of Cupertino Aids COVID-19 Relief Efforts in India
Rotary Club of Cupertino is among the clubs in Rotary District 5170 that have partnered with other organizations to help ease India’s COVID-19 crisis. Cupertino Rotarians, together with Rotary e-club of SV Smart Village and the nonprofit Pratham USA, are raising funds to support a global grant for an oxygen generator for COVID-19 patients in New Delhi, as well as an additional effort to provide for more immediate distribution of oxygen products.
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Pfizer/BioNTech Seek Full FDA Approval For Their COVID-19 Vaccine
Pfizer/BioNTech has initiated its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full FDA approval of its COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older, the companies said Friday. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine in the United States to be assessed for full approval from the FDA. Pfizer's mRNA two-shot vaccine is currently being used in the U.S. under emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA. The companies say 170 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed across the U.S. to date. CNN Read more
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The Average Number of COVID-19 Vaccines Administered Dipped Below 2 Million Per Day
The seven-day average of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the United States has dipped below 2 million per day for the first time since early March - a sign of the continued decline in demand for coronavirus immunizations. According to data published Saturday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the seven-day average of doses administered now sits at 1.98 million. The last time the daily average was below 2 million was March 2. It's an indicator that vaccinations are gradually slowing, even though the U.S. remains far short of the levels of immunization needed to reach herd immunity. CNN Read more
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A New COVID Dilemma: What to Do When Vaccine Supply Exceeds Demand?
And now for a new and vexing dilemma for states trying to vaccinate their residents against Covid-19: What to do when supply of the vaccine greatly outstrips demand?
Several states, long desperate for as many doses as they could get, are now awash in unused doses of Covid vaccines as demand dwindles and supply continues to ramp up. And many are having either to come up with new and creative ways to vaccinate the hard to reach and the hesitant or to start cutting back on supplies, even though 43 percent of Americans have not received any vaccinations. About 112.6 million people, or 34 percent of the population, were fully vaccinated as of Saturday. NY Times Read more
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Vaccination Rates Lag in Communities of Color, But It's Not Only Due to Hesitancy, Experts Say
It started with the op-eds. Even before COVID-19 vaccines were widely available, newspapers' opinion pages warned that some Black people would be hesitant to get the shot. Those columns often referenced the infamous 1930s Tuskegee Syphilis Study, during which doctors withheld treatment from Black men with syphilis, as evidence of lingering well-founded mistrust that might drag down vaccination rates in the Black community. But experts say the narrative that Black people, and communities of color more widely, are more vaccine hesitant, may not be the whole story. Instead, they argue, lack of access to vaccines and structural barriers are also hurting vaccination rates in these communities. ABC News Read more
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New York City to Offer COVID-19 Vaccines to Tourists
New York City plans to offer tourists a shot of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a push to draw more foot traffic to city attractions, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday. Mobile vans would be set up to jab visitors at Central Park, the Empire State Building and other sight-seeing locations.
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Ramping Up Its COVID Response, EU Will Buy Up To 1.8B Doses Of Pfizer Vaccine
The European Union and Pfizer-BioNTech have signed a deal for up to 1.8 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The bloc's biggest contract to date would cover its entire population, marking a significant ramp up in its fight against the coronavirus. NPR Read more
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Vaccine Resources
Food Pantries
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 439,719
California: 3,758,138
U.S.: 32,711,361
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 1,623,602
Cases: 87,633
Deaths: 1,545
Test Positivity: 1.0%
Hospitalized Patients: 108
ICU Beds Available: 112
Cases have decreased over the past week but are still high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also fallen in the Alameda County area. Deaths have increased. The test positivity rate in Alameda County is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is adequate for evaluating COVID-19 spread in the area. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 6,344
California: 62,314
U.S.: 581,791
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,163,922
Cases: 68,582
Deaths: 792
Test Positivity: 1.6%
Hospitalized Patients: 51
ICU Beds Available: 49
Cases have decreased over the past week but are still high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also fallen in the Contra Costa area. Deaths have increased. The test positivity rate in Contra Costa County is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is adequate for evaluating COVID-19 spread in the area. NY Times
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State/National/International News |
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Countries in Africa Fear They Could Become The Next India as Vaccine Supplies Dwindle
In the halls of Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, teachers, hospitality workers and taxi drivers patiently wait for their first precious COVID-19 AstraZeneca shot. In early March, Kenya received just over 1 million doses from the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access alliance, COVAX, the vaccine-sharing initiative that provides free and discounted doses for lower-income countries. Kenya has been one of the most efficient African nations at getting the vaccines into the arms of at-risk groups. COVAX is largely reliant on India's vaccine manufacturers who no longer supply the program because of India's own COVID crisis. Kenyans who qualify for doses are already struggling to find them. CNN Read more
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COVID-19 Fear, Anxiety Continues to Hold Back Fully Vaccinated Americans
As the weather warms up and millions of people continue to get vaccinated each day, Americans are beginning to feel optimistic that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be finally behind them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been issuing new guidelines that say fully vaccinated individuals can safely travel, meet with friends and family, and take off masks while outdoors, indicating a dramatically different world for many Americans who adhered to public health safety guidelines. But after more than a year of living in fear of COVID-19, some fully vaccinated individuals are hesitant to leave their homes and let their guard down. USA Today Read more
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Want To Know If Your Family Or Friends Got The COVID-19 Vaccine?
It's Not Rude To Ask, Etiquette Experts Say
If you want to know whether someone you're planning on spending time with has gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, you shouldn't feel bad about asking, according to etiquette experts. Unlike many other pieces of health-related information, which are typically kept private in polite company, there's no shame in wanting to know whether people you're close with have gotten the vaccine, according to etiquette expert Elaine Swann. We should not be afraid to ask the question," Swann told USA TODAY. That's because the vaccination status of a person can have health impacts for the people who spend time around them. USA Today Read more
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Children Make Up 22% of New U.S. COVID-19 Cases
As more and more adults continue to get their COVID-19 shots, infection rates are plummeting across the country. But according to new figures from the American Academy of Pediatrics, COVID-19 infections in children are remaining stubbornly constant. Dr. Grace Lee, a pediatric epidemiologist at Stanford Children's Health said if vaccines are approved for children, those infection rates would also likely plummet.
“Having vaccines gives you a huge layer of protection that goes above and beyond with what we can do with masking and social distancing and cohorting, etc,” she said.
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Pediatricians Can Bypass MyTurn As They Vaccinate Children
California officials will allow pediatricians to bypass their cumbersome vaccine management system in a move intended to speed COVID-19 vaccinations for children, CalMatters has learned. The decision comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize vaccines for children ages 12 to 15 as early as next week, which would add 2.1 million kids to the number of Californians eligible. The move is a tacit recognition of the problems that the massive, $50 million MyTurn system poses for doctors and smaller medical groups wanting to immunize their patients. CalMatters Read more
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Poll Shows Parents Are Reluctant to Get Their Children Vaccinated for COVID-19
The American public’s willingness to get a Covid vaccine is reaching a saturation point, a new national poll suggests, one more indication that achieving widespread immunity in the United States is becoming increasingly challenging. Only 9 percent of respondents said they hadn’t yet gotten the shot but intended to do so, according to the survey. And with federal authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents ages 12 through 15 expected imminently, the eagerness of parents to let their children be vaccinated is also limited, the poll found.
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LAUSD Agrees to Work Day Flexibility For Teachers With Child Care Issues
Teachers with child care issues could be getting some relief, as Los Angeles Unified issued districtwide guidance to administrators this week on providing flexibility to those who are, or should be, back to working in person but are seeking accommodations. Employees facing child care issues could continue working from home if they have no students signed up for in-person instruction in their classroom, according to a copy of the guidance, which was obtained by the Los Angeles Daily News. Read more
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Schools Are Open, But Many Families Remain Hesitant to Return
Even though the pandemic appears to be coming under control in the United States as vaccinations continue, many superintendents say fear of the coronavirus itself is no longer the primary reason their students are opting out. Nor are many families expressing a strong preference for remote learning. Rather, for every child and parent who has leaped at the opportunity to return to the classroom, others changed their lives over the past year in ways that make going back to school difficult. The consequences are likely to reverberate through the education system for year.
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Gratitude: The Best Medicine During Tough Times
The best way to protect yourself against COVID-19 infection is to get the vaccine, mask up and practice social distancing. But how do we protect ourselves from the other side of things - the anxiety and sadness that have accompanied this life-altering pandemic? The answer, says one UC Davis expert, lies within. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis, says the best medicine for mental health is a regular practice of gratitude. UC Davis Health Read more
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- COVID-19 testing is a good idea, but keep in mind, people who test negative can still harbor the virus if they are early in their infection.
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A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
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An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.
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Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have reported 1,561 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 95 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 467 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 41 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 5/9//21
Oakland: 27,269
Hayward: 13,597
Fremont: 7,958
Eden MAC: 5,917
San Leandro: 5,452
Livermore: 4,243
Union City: 3,997
Berkeley: 3,594
Newark: 2,795
Castro Valley: 2,562
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 5/9/21
Richmond: 10,312
Antioch: 9,503
Concord: 8,012
Pittsburg: 6,794
San Pablo: 5,229
Brentwood: 3,778
Oakley: 3,180
Walnut Creek: 2,841
Bay Point: 2,848
San Ramon: 2,095
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Mask On!
Protect Yourself While Protecting Others
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Working in collaboration with the Alameda County Public Health Department, the cities of Hayward and San Leandro, and the Castro Valley and Eden Area Municipal Advisory Councils, the District has printed "Mask On" posters for each city in the Eden Health District area. These posters are free of charge and intended for businesses, health clinics, schools, churches, public agencies and nonprofit agencies to display in their entrances. The posters are available in English, Spanish and Chinese languages. The public is welcome to download and print or share "Mask On" posters from our website. |
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About Eden Health District |
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The Eden Health District Board of Directors are Chair Mariellen Faria, Vice Chair Pam Russo, Secretary/Treasurer Roxann Lewis, Gordon Galvan and Varsha Chauhan. The Chief Executive Officer is Mark Friedman.
The Eden Health District is committed to ensuring that policy makers and community members receive accurate and timely information to help make the best policy and personal choices to meet and overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We welcome your feedback on our bulletin. Please contact editor Lisa Mahoney.
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