COVID-19
breaking news & updates
|
|
|
Bay Area Shifting to Normal in Small And Large Ways
After more than a year of pervasive efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Bay Area has been stirring back to life in ways large and small. Offices slowly are reopening, as are the constellation of restaurants and bars around them. Masks no longer are wardrobe staples. Roads are crowded once again. Public transit isn’t quite so empty. But it’s impossible for a metropolitan region to simply push the reset button and return to how things were in early 2020, especially with the coronavirus continuing to mutate and spread. SF Chronicle Read more
|
|
|
COVID Reopening: Push To Expand Ferry Service, Add New Routes In Oakland
As the Bay Area emerges from the pandemic, people are turning to public transportation to get around. BART is ramping up to a full schedule and now one Oakland City Councilmember wants ferry services to expand. Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan wants to increase the frequency of the ferries and add new routes. KPIX5 Read more
|
|
|
Get Vaccinated at the Oakland Zoo on July 24, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Receive a Free One-Day Family Pass
Receive your COVID-19 vaccine at Oakland Zoo's pop-up clinic on July 24, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 pm., and get a free one-day Oakland Zoo family pass, good for admission for 2 adults and 2 children, plus free parking for one vehicle (a $98 value) to use on the same day or for a future visit. You can drop in or pre-register. *Second dose clinic will be at the same location on August 14
|
|
|
SF Supes Vote To Keep Pandemic-Era Parklets Making Outdoor Dining, Bars Permanent
It looks like those pandemic-era parklets for outdoor dining are here to stay, in San Francisco. The city’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to make them permanent. The parklets are part of the so-called Shared Spaces program was first introduced by London Breed following the city’s Stay at Home Order last year, as a way to support businesses during the shutdown. Many restaurant owners credit the parklets for saving their business. KPIX5 Read more
|
|
Sacramento County COVID Rates Now Among Highest in California
Coronavirus activity is surging again in California’s capital region, where loosened restrictions and the dangerous Delta variant may be intersecting with lackluster vaccination rates. Sacramento County as of Tuesday had recorded more COVID-19 cases per capita in the past week than any other county statewide with at least 100,000 residents, according to numbers updated Tuesday by the California Department of Public Health. The local health office on Tuesday reported a daily average of 147 new virus cases over the past week, or 9.3 per 100,000 residents. Sacramento Bee Read more
|
|
|
FDA Issues Warning For Johnson & Johnson Vaccine After Cases of Rare Neurological Disorder
Federal regulators Monday added a warning to the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after a small number of people out of millions who received the one-dose shot developed a rare but serious neurological disorder. The Food and Drug Administration has identified 100 cases of people developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can cause muscle weakness and paralysis, after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That’s a tiny fraction of the nearly 13 million Johnson & Johnson inoculations given so far.
|
|
|
U.S. Officials Tell Pfizer That More Data is Needed for a Decision on Booster Shots
Representatives of Pfizer met privately with senior U.S. scientists and regulators on Monday to press their case for swift authorization of coronavirus booster vaccines, amid growing public confusion about whether they will be needed and pushback from federal health officials who say the extra doses are not necessary now. Officials said after the meeting that more data - and possibly several more months - would be needed before regulators could determine whether booster shots were necessary. NY Times
|
|
|
COVID-19 Vaccines Saved Nearly 280,000 Lives in The U.S., New Research Estimates
COVID-19 vaccines saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented more than a million hospitalizations in the United States, according to new estimates from researchers at Yale University and the Commonwealth Fund. The researchers compared actual trends in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths against a modeled trajectory of what those trends would have been if there had been no vaccinations. By the end of June, the researchers estimate that there would have been about 279,000 additional deaths due to COVID-19 - about 46% more than there were - and as many as 1.25 million additional hospitalizations if there were no vaccinations. CNN Read more
|
|
|
The French Rush For Vaccines After They're Told They'll Need Them To Go To Cafes
A record number of French citizens booked vaccine shots Monday after French President Emmanuel Macron said that starting in August, anyone who wants to visit cafes, bars or shopping centers must show a "health pass" that certifies they've been vaccinated or recently tested negative for the coronavirus. NPR Read more
|
|
A New Poll Shows Why Some Vaccine-Hesitant Americans Decided to Get the COVID-19 Shot
Roughly one-fifth of Americans were initially hesitant about or squarely against getting the COVID-19 vaccine but have since gotten their shots, according to polling released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey reached back out to people first polled in January to see how their views on the issue had evolved. CNN Read more
|
|
|
State/National/International News |
|
In Abrupt Turnaround, California to Let School Districts Decide How to Enforce Mask Rules
The complications of managing COVID-era education took a dramatic turn Monday, when state officials issued a rule barring unmasked students from campuses, and then, hours later, rescinded that rule - while keeping in place a mask mandate for all at K-12 schools. Instead, the latest revision allows local school officials to decide how to deal with students who refuse to wear masks, a spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday night. LA Times Read more
|
|
|
Tougher Tactics Targeting The Unvaccinated Needed to Stop New COVID-19 Spike, Experts Say
With coronavirus cases rising among the unvaccinated and efforts to get them shots lagging, there is growing belief in some public health circles that more aggressive tactics are needed to get more of the population inoculated. California has already tried prizes and game show-style events to encourage people to get vaccinated. But 41% of Californians of all ages have yet to be inoculated. And two troubling and related trends are bringing calls for fresh thinking. The coronavirus is spreading in California - mostly among unvaccinated people, and the pace of vaccinations continues to tail off.
|
|
|
FDA Approval of a Vaccine Could Compel Thousands in California to Get Shots
Pressure is mounting on the Food and Drug Administration to grant full approval for COVID vaccines, a move that could spur millions more Americans to get vaccinated - including thousands of Californians whose employers or universities plan to mandate the shots once the FDA approves one. It usually takes the FDA at least several months to approve vaccines once an application has been filed. The agency hasn’t specified when it expects to approve one or more of the three COVID shots beyond saying it is “working as quickly as possible to review applications.” SF Chronicle Read more
|
|
|
Young Children Will Pay The Price if Enough U.S. Adults Don't Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19, Expert Says
Children will likely pay the price for adults in the U.S. not getting vaccinated at high enough rates to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19, which has been surging in most states, a vaccine expert said. If vaccination rates among adults and kids 12 and older keep lagging amid increased spread of the Delta variant, the youngest members of the population will be most affected, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccinologist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. CNN Read more
|
|
|
Parents Stuck Between Two COVID-19 Worlds as Young Kids Remain Unvaccinated
Daniel Horowitz’s grip tightened around his children’s hands as he looked upon the sea of people in horror. Nobody was wearing a mask. The amusement park's website said any unvaccinated visitors were required to wear face coverings, but it didn’t take long for the 42-year-old father to realize these rules weren’t being enforced. This was not the safe, socially distanced summer Horowitz had in mind. Although the dad from Wilmington, Delaware, is fully vaccinated, his 8-year-old daughter, Emily, and 4-year-old son, Adam, are unprotected. Horowitz was excited to give them the summer they had lost last year, but he said the lack of regard for unvaccinated children puts them at risk. USA Today Read more
|
|
|
How We'll Know When the COVID-19 Crisis Is Really Over
In many ways, American life is returning to normal: Masks are no longer required in many locations, schools and universities are slated to reopen, and the days of social distancing are beginning to fade as concerts and sporting events bring spectators back. Life hasn't quite returned to the pre-pandemic status quo, but it feels much closer to it than it did six months ago. But while we may long for officials to give an all-clear and declare the pandemic history, the health crisis is definitely not over, both in the U.S. and abroad. KQED Read more
|
|
Cost of Fighting COVID in California: $12.3 Billion
Fighting COVID-19 in California has cost taxpayers at least $12.3 billion since the start of the pandemic. That’s more than the gross domestic product of 50 nations. More than the value of the Dodgers, Yankees and Giants combined. Almost double General Motors’ profits last year. Enough to give $313 to every single Californian. And that doesn’t include $110 billion from the feds to boost unemployment checks, and billions more in federal stimulus money, rent aid and loans to businesses shuttered for much of last year. CalMatters Read more
|
|
|
Dentists Say Teeth Grinding is Surging During COVID-19 Pandemic
With the pandemic causing uncertainty, isolation and disruptions in routine, research has continued to show increases in far-reaching physical and mental health problems - and now, dentists are noting that teeth grinding and jaw clenching, known as bruxism, also seem to be on the rise.
|
|
Long COVID? Soon There Could Be a Test to Show If You Have It
“Long COVID” - the name given to ongoing symptoms that millions have reported suffering after a COVID-19 infection - is here to “haunt us for a while yet,” according to a scientist studying the impact of the condition. But there are hopes that a diagnostic test could soon be developed. CNBC Read more
|
|
|
Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 455,029
California: 3,845,180
U.S.: 33,932,050
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 2,116,077
Cases: 91,735
Deaths: 1,271
Test Positivity: 3.6%
Hospitalized Patients: 87
ICU Beds Available: 108
Cases have increased recently and are high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also risen in the Alameda County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level. 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
|
|
Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 5,795
California: 63,984
U.S.: 607,988
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,446,762
Cases: 72,326
Deaths: 821
Test Positivity: 4.0%
Hospitalized Patients: 63
ICU Beds Available: 39
Cases have increased recently and are high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also risen in the Contra Costa County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level. 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
|
|
|
Are COVID-19 Symptoms Different If I’m Infected With The Delta Variant?
Two infectious disease experts - Dr. Robert Bollinger of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. Otto Yang of UCLA - talk about is known so far. LA Times Read more
|
|
|
- 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.
|
|
-
A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
-
An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.
|
|
|
COVID Test Resources
Food Pantries
|
|
|
Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have reported 1,163 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 71 cases per 100,000 residents. |
|
Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 678 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 60 cases per 100,000 residents. |
|
|
Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 7/14/21
Oakland: 28,808
Hayward: 14,060
Fremont: 8,300
Eden MAC: 6,132
San Leandro: 5,738
Livermore: 4,446
Union City: 4,139
Berkeley: 3,722
Newark: 2,868
Castro Valley: 2,690
|
|
Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 7/14/21
Richmond: 12,022
Antioch: 10,232
Concord: 8,381
Pittsburg: 7,214
San Pablo: 5,442
Brentwood: 4,052
Oakley: 3,456
Walnut Creek: 2,994
Bay Point: 2,870
San Ramon: 2,196
|
|
|
About Eden Health District |
|
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.
|
|
|
Follow Us on Social Media |
|
|
|
|
|
|
