Eden Health District COVID-19 Bulletin
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“Health first, science and data. Everything else follows from that."
Gov. Gavin Newsom, April 20, 2020
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Alameda County:
1,239
Contra Costa County:
749
California:
33,843
U.S.:
830,789
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Alameda County:
43
Contra Costa County:
22
California:
1,320
U.S.:
45,153
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We are proud to partner with the
East Bay Community Foundation
in publishing this bulletin. Through donations to its
COVID-19 Response Fund,
the EBCF provides grants to East Bay nonprofit organizations delivering essential services to those most impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.
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Mercury News, April 21, 2020
Elected officials are getting put on notice that their cities could be facing budget shortfalls if businesses continue to remain shuttered because of the coronavirus. San Leandro could lose about $10 million in sales tax revenue before the economy is up and running, while in Hayward sales tax revenue this month is projected to be down about $1.2 million, or half of what it was in March, according to officials in the city.
SF Chronicle, April 21, 2020
Kaiser Permanente, one of Northern California’s largest health care providers, is building a $14 million lab in Berkeley that will boost the system’s coronavirus testing capacity from about 1,200 tests a day to 5,000 by the time the lab opens in early June, Kaiser officials said.
East Bay Times, April 22, 2020
In the absence of an anticipated coronavirus surge, Bay Area emergency room doctors and nurses say the ongoing pandemic has transformed hospitals into deserts. ER visits have declined by more than half at Kaiser and Stanford. Some hospitals are beginning to schedule necessary surgeries and tests that had been put off in preparation for an onslaught of very sick COVID-19 patients.
SF Chronicle, April 22, 2020
The Chronicle examined weekly coronavirus case rates, or how many new cases were reported per 100,000 people, for major U.S. metropolitan areas to see how the Bay Area’s curve compares to the rest of the US. Verse hard-hit areas, like New Orleans, New York and Detroit, the Bay Area looks less like a curve, and more like a flat line.
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Press Release, April 21, 2020
Ms. Russo was sworn into office on April 15, 2020. The Directors acted to fill a vacancy on the five-member Board due to the resignation of Megan Lynch, who resigned her position in advance of attending medical school. “I am focused on working with my colleagues on the Board to meet the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic for the residents of the Eden Area,” Russo stated.
East Bay Times, April 22, 2020
Before the pandemic hit, the general fund budget was expected to end up with a $544,000 surplus at the end of the current fiscal year. Due to falling commercial and consumer spending, the city will end the fiscal year with a deficit of at least $2.3 million, and is forecasting a $4 million budget deficit next fiscal year. With a population of about 25,000 residents, El Cerrito has a current budget of about $40.5 million for 2020-21.
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SF Chronicle, April 22, 2020
A person who died at home in Santa Clara County on Feb. 6 was infected with the coronavirus at the time of death, a stunning discovery that makes that individual the first recorded COVID-19 fatality in the US, according to autopsy results released by public health officials. That death, three weeks before the first fatality was reported in the US, in Washington state on Feb. 28, adds to increasing evidence that the virus was in the country far earlier than once thought. Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s public health officer, said the deaths “tell us we had community transmission, probably significant community transmission, far before we realized it and documented it.”
Washington Post, April 21, 2020
Even as states move ahead with plans to
reopen their economies
, the director of the CDC warned that a second wave of the novel coronavirus will be far more dire because it is likely to coincide with the start of flu season. "There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,”
CDC Director Robert Redfield
said. “We’re going to have the flu epidemic and the
coronavirus
epidemic at the same time.” Having two simultaneous respiratory outbreaks would put unimaginable strain on the health-care system, he said.
Associated Press, April 21, 2020
A malaria drug widely touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus showed no benefit in a large analysis of its use in U.S. veterans hospitals. There were more deaths among those given hydroxychloroquine versus standard care, researchers reported. The nationwide study was not a rigorous experiment. But with 368 patients, it’s the largest look so far of hydroxychloroquine with or without the antibiotic azithromycin for COVID-19.
New York Times, April 21, 2020
The federal agency led by Dr. Anthony Fauci issued guidelines on Tuesday that stated there is no proven drug for treating coronavirus patients, a finding that essentially reinforces Dr. Fauci’s dissent from President Trump’s repeated promotion of certain drugs without evidence to support their use. The report echoed what frustrated doctors already know: Not enough is known about the highly infectious virus or how to combat it.
The Atlantic, April 21, 2020
Since the beginning of the pandemic, people around the world have heard the message that older and chronically ill people are most likely to die from COVID-19. But that is far from a complete picture of who is at risk of life-threatening disease. Understanding exactly how and why some people get so sick while others feel almost nothing will be the key to treatment.
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LA Times, April 21, 2020
California public health officials have partially lifted restrictions on who should receive tests for the coronavirus, recommending for the first time that asymptomatic people living or working in high-risk settings such as nursing homes, prisons and even some households should now be considered a priority.
East Bay Times, April 21, 2020
Gov. Newsom said Tuesday that the number of confirmed cases in the state spiked by 7.4% while the death toll increased by 5.0% in the last 24 hours. Newsom also said the number of hospitalizations and patients requiring care in ICU units has also increased. Newsom pointed to the updated statistics as a warning sign, “Those numbers went up, they didn’t go down. So I caution those, including local elected officials, that practicing physical distancing has worked to keep those numbers relatively modest in terms of growth. But if we pull back too quickly, those numbers will go through the roof.”
SF Chronicle, April 21, 2020
A new state initiative aims to connect Californians with local governments and nonprofits that have faced a shortage of volunteers during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, Gov. Newsom announced the launch of a
website
, Californians For All, where people can apply to serve on a “volunteer corps” that could be called on to do things like deliver meals to seniors, provide hygiene kits to the homeless and donate blood.
LA Times, April 21, 2020
Cal State Fullerton is planning to begin fall semester with online classes, one of the first universities in the nation to make that move as campuses throughout the country grapple with how long to stay closed to most students amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Reuters, April 22, 2020
President Donald Trump on Wednesday applauded steps taken by a handful of Republican-led U.S. states to start reopening their economies despite warnings of a potential fresh surge of coronavirus infections. About a half dozen, mostly southern U.S. states, including Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee led by Republican governors, are loosening stay-at-home guidelines, allowing some non-essential businesses to reopen and hoping to revive their state economies.
The Economist, April 21, 2020
Between the end of March and April 20th, the number of cases in the dozen southern states rose from 11,700 to 127,500, three times as fast as the national increase. The South is entering the most dangerous period in which numbers are large, growth is still high and health systems start to buckle.
NPR, April 21, 2020
During an evening press conference in Albany, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said President Trump committed to procure more coronavirus testing supplies from China and other overseas manufacturers. The scarcity of testing kits, chemicals and other supplies has been a major flash point between Trump and some governors.
The Guardian, April 21, 2020
Older black people are
more likely to die of the virus
than their white senior counterparts. And among those lost are prominent black pastors, performers and practitioners who lived through struggles for civil and cultural rights in their communities.
Forbes, April 21, 2020
Attorney General William Barr said in an
interview
on Tuesday that the Justice Department will consider taking legal action against governors who don’t follow President Trump’s guidelines for reopening the country and continue to impose strict coronavirus lockdowns in their states.
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Celebrating A Patient Victory
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As patients recover from Covid-19, each hospital discharge is a victory not just for the patient, his or her family and doctors and nurses that treated the patient, but also neighbors and the community. In Daly City, 38-year-old father of two Ken Loo returned home a few days ago from his battle with the virus. Inspired by his month-long fight for life, the county issued a proclamation celebrating his recovery and neighbors drove by his house with signs welcoming him home.
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New York Times, April 21, 2020
Ecuador took early aggressive measures to stop the coronavirus, but ended up becoming an epicenter of the pandemic in Latin America. In a
video report
, the NY Times explains how this occurred.
T
he Guardian, April 21, 2020
Across Latin America and the Caribbean, where
an estimated 113 million people
live in low-income barrios, favelas or villas, families are struggling to adapt to coronavirus lockdowns or social isolation orders because of more immediate financial imperatives. In recent days, as some governments have announced aid packages to help their poorest citizens stay home, there have been reports of
containment measures fraying
in two of Latin America’s largest communities.
Australian Broadcasting Corp., April 22, 2020
The United Nations has warned the coronavirus pandemic may lead to "multiple famines of biblical proportions." As the number of confirmed infections globally passed 2.5 million, the UN's World Food Program (WFP) estimated the number of the world's hungry could nearly double by the end of the year. WFP executive director David Beasley warned the world was "on the brink of a hunger pandemic" if immediate action was not taken. He said the countries at greatest risk were those across Africa and the Middle East.
Daily Mail, April 22, 2020
Scientists developing a second coronavirus vaccine will soon start recruiting volunteers for clinical trials to begin in June. A lab at Imperial College London was yesterday pledged £22.5 million by Health Secretary Matt Hancock for its efforts to protect against COVID-19. It plans to begin human experiments in around six weeks' time and will follow in the footsteps of a University of Oxford project which starts testing tomorrow.
The Independent, April 21, 2020
When Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told citizens they would be going into lockdown, the only other country in
Europe
to have done so was
Italy,
a nation which had seen hundreds of coronavirus deaths and more than 12,000 infections. In
Denmark
, where no one had died, the number confirmed to have contracted the virus was closer to 500. A month on and that response, which saw the government in Copenhagen break away from advice of European partners and even its own health officials, appears to have paid off. On Monday, Denmark lifted more lockdown restrictions and allowed beauty salons and hairdressers to reopen, having opened schools
a week earlier.
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CNN, April 22, 2020
In an interview Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, states that the coronavirus we're fighting is at least as infectious as the 1918 pandemic. Osterholm said we're only in the second inning of a nine-inning contest, with the possibility of as many as 800,000 deaths or more in the US over the next 18 months.
UCSF Dr. Sojung Yi, The Lily (Washington Post), April 21, 2020
“Where are you from?” Those are the first words out of my patient’s mouth when I ask how I can help her today. A lifetime of being asked this question as an Asian American has prepared me to simply reply, “I’m from here.” Usually that dissipates the conversation, but today, my patient adds, “I’m not racist, I just don’t want to get the virus.” My experience is not isolated. As headlines continue to provide updates about
the Covid-19 virus
overwhelming
hospitals across the country
, an overt wave of xenophobic and racist sentiment has also swept in.
Ed Chau, California Assembly member, Cal Matters, April 21, 2020
If we are to prevail together during these trying times, we must address issues of discrimination by dispelling negative images and attitudes, and highlighting the contributions of our state’s diverse communities. Today, countless
AAPI health care providers
are on the front lines, working closely with their peers in the fight against COVID-19, both in hospitals caring for patients and in laboratories finding a cure.
Marie McCullough, medical reporter, Philadelphia Inquirer, April 20, 2020
Just two months ago, the discovery that two people infected with the coronavirus had no symptoms was such big scientific news that
it was published in the New England Journal of Medicine
. Now, it is becoming clear that much, if not most, of the spread of the virus is by infected people who don’t get sick.
The Atlantic, April 21, 2020
Newsom’s moves—and those of other blue-state governors who have taken the lead in confronting the crisis in the face of the Trump administration’s failures—are the sort of decisive action that Americans might have more readily expected from the federal government.
Anna Almendrala, health care policy correspondent, Kaiser Health Network, April 21, 2020
The COVID-19 epidemic is exposing the profound weaknesses of the industry serving the nation’s oldest and frailest citizens, including chronic understaffing, low pay and an inability to control infectious outbreaks. For struggling institutions, a global pandemic made an already difficult job nearly impossible.
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Answers to Common Questions on Wearing Face Coverings
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Last week, the public health officers of several Bay Area counties, including Alameda and Contra Costa, issued an
order
requiring the wearing of face coverings in public. As of today, residents must comply with the order. The order is in addition to the
Shelter-in-Place order
which requires people to stay home as much as possible and maintain physical distancing. Below are answers to common questions on the mask order. Answers to additional questions can be found
here
.
Why are masks required?
A key way COVID-19 spreads is via respiratory droplets expelled when a person sneezes or coughs. While not a substitute for frequent hand washing and maintaining at least 6-feet of physical distance from others, masks can help reduce the spread of these droplets. Keep in mind, an infected person can transmit the coronavirus even without having any, or only mild, symptoms.
What types of masks are required?
- Basic nonmedical, cloth masks, including scarves and bandannas, without holes are required.
- The mask must cover your nose and mouth but, of course, make sure you can breathe through it.
Are medical grade masks or ones with a one-way valve recommended?
No. As long as medical grade masks such as N95 masks and surgical masks are in short supply, the public health officers ask that we not purchase and use them. Any mask that incorporates a one-way valve (typically a raised plastic cylinder about the size of a quarter on the front or side of the mask) does not comply with the order. Masks with these valves permit the release of droplets. Plastic masks and ski masks with holes for nose or mouth also do not comply with the order.
When must masks be worn?
Face coverings are required to be worn:
- While inside or waiting in line to enter essential businesses, like a grocery store or pharmacy;
- When seeking health care;
- When waiting for or riding on public transit, or in a taxi, ride share vehicle or private town car; and
- When entering facilities allowed to operate under the Shelter in Place Order.
What are the exceptions to the order?
- The order does not apply to when driving alone or with members of your own household.
- Masks are not required when engaged in outdoor recreation such as walking, bicycling, or running, though it is recommended to have a mask with you and practice physical distancing.
- Children age 12 and younger are not required to wear masks or anyone that has trouble breathing or been advised by a medical professional to not wear a mask.
What's the best way to wear and care for a mask?
First, wash your hands before putting on the mask. The
CDC recommends
that cloth face coverings should
- fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
- be secured with ties or ear loops
- include multiple layers of fabric
- allow for breathing without restriction
Cloth masks should be washed after daily use, in hot water with regular detergent, and dried completely on a high heat setting. Always sanitize your hands after handling masks and do not touch your face.
How can I make a mask?
In the video below,
Jeremy Howard, a University of San Francisco researcher and the co-founder of
Masks 4 All
,
explains how to create your own, with no sewing required.
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Donate PPE To Area Hospitals
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Hospitals throughout the East Bay are experiencing
a shortage of medical supplies. They are seeking donations of new Protective Personal Equipment (masks, gowns and other products). For more information visit:
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Your feedback is welcome. Please share the Bulletin.
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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.
Please share our bulletin with your contacts. If you would like to submit feedback or stories on the local response to the pandemic,
please contact bulletin editor Stephen Cassidy at
stephen.cassidy@ethd.org
. And if you are operating a local food bank and would like your organization profiled in our nonprofit spotlight, please contact us.
The
Eden Health District Board of Directors
are Gordon Galvan, Chair, Mariellen Faria, Vice Chair, Charles Gilcrest, Secretary, Roxann Lewis and Pam Russo. The Chief Executive Officer is Mark Friedman.
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