September 18, 2020
Eden Health District COVID-19 Bulletin
“The virus is the same. These numbers we generate are markers of how efficiently we’re avoiding the virus. We’re not doing anything to the virus except avoiding it.”
Dr. George Rutherford, UC San Francisco epidemiologist, 9/17/20
Nun runs treadmill marathon, raises money for Chicago’s poor
When the Chicago Marathon was canceled due to coronavirus, Sister Stephanie Baliga decided to put on her sneakers and run the standard 26.2 miles — in her convent’s basement.

It started as a promise. Baliga had told her running team that in the event of a cancellation, she’d run a treadmill marathon to raise money for the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels food pantry in Chicago. She planned to do it alone, starting at 4 a.m., to music from a boom box.

“But then my friend convinced me that this is kind of a crazy thing that most people don’t do,” she said. “That most people don’t run marathons on their treadmill in their basement, and that I should let other people know about it.” And so her run was livestreamed on Zoom and posted on YouTube. The loud crowds of the Chicago Marathon, which she ran the last nine years, were missing. But she still got the smiles of friends, clergy and family members who popped up on a screen and cheered her on.

“It seems to have allowed people to have some encouragement and happiness and joy in this time of extreme difficulty for lots of people,” Baliga said. “I’m really humbled by the extraordinary support that so many people have shown me along this journey.”
Baliga submitted her time of 3 hours and 33 minutes to Guinness World Records for timed treadmill marathon. “The only reason I was able to do it was because no one had ever done it before,” she said, smiling.
More important, so far her treadmill marathon has raised more than $130,000 for her mission’s community outreach.

By the Numbers
CONFIRMED CASES
Alameda County: 20,162

Contra Costa County: 15,734

Bay Area: 96,795

California: 775,692

U.S.: 6,694,434
REPORTED DEATHS
Alameda County: 365

Contra Costa County: 199

Bay Area: 1,390

California: 14,816

U.S.: 198,055
Bay Area News
SF Chronicle, September 17, 2020
In comparison to other major urban areas across the country, however, the Bay Area’s summer spike was moderate. From mid-July to mid-August, the average number of cases per 100,000 people was 423. Compare that to Miami’s summer spike with a case rate of 2,573 over the same period. During New York’s peak month, its case rate was 1,513.

In recent weeks, the Bay Area has seen an overall decline in case counts. Under the state’s new color-coded reopening system, four of the region’s nine counties — San Francisco, Marin, Napa and Santa Clara — are in the No. 2 red tier, allowing them to ease more restrictions. Overall, weekly cases in the Bay Area have declined by 64%, which experts have attributed to consistent mask wearing and social distancing.

Website Update, September 16, 2020
In an amendment to its Health Order, Contra Costa Health Services now requires that all laboratories conducting Covid-19 diagnostic tests report to public health officials results from antigen tests, a new method of testing for the coronavirus infection.

Press Release, September 16, 2020
When planning for Halloween this year, Contra Costa residents can play it safe from COVID-19 by emphasizing the parts of the holiday that do not involve getting too close to other people. Dressing up in costume can still be fun even if you choose not to go out.
Decorating the yard or front of the house helps stage the whole neighborhood for drive-through parades and Covid-safe visits from neighbors and families looking for the familiar sights and feel of the holiday.

East Bay Resources


Both Alameda and Contra Costa counties report that the turnaround time for test results from community testing centers has improved substantially, and is now two to four days. 


East Bay Times, September 28, 2020
The Bay Area job market rocketed to big gains in August that were larger than the increases for July, offering a hint that the easing of coronavirus-linked business shutdowns by government officials might have bolstered hiring, a labor report issued Friday shows.The Bay Area added 29,700 jobs during August, the Friday report shows. San Francisco-San Mateo added 10,100 jobs, the East Bay added 9,900 positions, and Santa Clara County gained 6,100 jobs in August. The statewide unemployment rate improved to 11.4 percent, down from 13.5 percent in July.

SF Chronicle, September 17, 2020
Neither the coronavirus nor the wildfires put much of a damper on Bay Area real estate in August, as the median price of an existing single-family home hit a record high of $1,068,000, according to a California Association of Realtors report issued Thursday. A profound shift in the market that started in June, after the Bay Area climbed out of a major downturn in April and May, continued into August. Buyers gravitated away from San Francisco, particularly high-rise condos, in search of larger homes with more land, especially in Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties.

East Bay Times, September 18, 2020
Saturday is supposed to be Coastal Cleanup Day in the SF Bay Area and statewide. But the coronavirus pandemic has turned the largest volunteer event in California upside down, just as it has with so many other facets of life. The event isn’t cancelled, but it’s different. For the first time in the 36-year history of Coastal Cleanup Day there will be no organized groups handing people bags and helping them record what they found on the third Saturday of September. Instead, the California Coastal Commission, which organizes the event every year, is asking people to fly solo.
Health News
NY Times, September 17, 2020
A heavily criticized recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month about who should be tested for the coronavirus was not written by C.D.C. scientists and was posted to the agency’s website despite their serious objections, according to several people familiar with the matter as well as internal documents obtained by The New York Times.

The guidance said it was not necessary to test people without symptoms of Covid-19 even if they had been exposed to the virus. It came at a time when public health experts were pushing for more testing rather than less, and administration officials told The Times that the document was a C.D.C. product and had been revised with input from the agency’s director, Dr. Robert Redfield. But officials told The Times this week that the Department of Health and Human Services did the rewriting and then “dropped” it into the C.D.C.’s public website, flouting the agency’s strict scientific review process.

Washington Post, September 17, 2020
On Thursday, Moderna and Pfizer, two front-runner drug companies developing a shot, released the full rule books for their studies, revealing that no one yet knows conclusively whether a vaccine is safe and effective — not even company executives. Leaders of Moderna and Pfizer cited the need for greater transparency than usual in covid-19 clinical trials as the reason behind their decision to release the full documents describing how their studies will measure safety and effectiveness.

Nature, September 17, 2020
Advisory groups around the world are releasing guidance to prioritize health-care workers and those in front-line jobs in the distribution of approved vaccines against the coronavirus.

In the US, after health-care workers, medically vulnerable groups should be among the first to receive a vaccine, according to the draft plan from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. These include older people living in crowded settings, and individuals with multiple existing conditions, such as serious heart disease or diabetes, that put them at risk for more-serious Covid-19 infection. The plan prioritizes workers in essential industries, such as public transit, because their jobs place them in contact with many people. Similarly, people who live in certain crowded settings — homeless shelters and prisons, for example — are called out as deserving early access.
What are the Differences Among PCR, Antigen & Antibody Coronavirus Tests?
Nature magazine summarizes each of these tests.
Chris Baraniuk, science reporter, Medium, September 15, 2020
Six months into the pandemic, there is growing evidence that the Herculean effort made by ICU staff has made a real difference in Covid-19 survival rates, which have significantly improved for intensive care patients since the start of the pandemic. A study in the journal Anaesthesia found that Covid-19 death rates in ICUs around the world had fallen from more than 50% in March to around 40% at the end of May. That is still roughly double the mortality one would expect from cases of viral pneumonia in intensive care, which again indicates how dangerous a disease Covid-19 is. But the improvement is clear — and it has happened relatively quickly.

How did it come about?
  • Trying drugs, rethinking ventilators
  • Proning
  • Global communication
  • Patient communication and support
US and California Data
Source: Covid Tracking Project, 9/15/20 (bold lines are 7-day averages)
United States
California
California News
LA Times, September 17, 2020
After months of bleak figures and forecasts, California now appears to be riding a wave of success beating back the coronavirus as officials express cautious optimism about what is next for the state. Hospitals across the state are treating the fewest patients with COVID-19 since April. The percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus is lower than ever, proof that the state has reined in a massive surge that began this summer.

“We are turning the corner,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a news conference Wednesday as he listed multiple coronavirus metrics now “lower than what we’ve seen in a number of months.” But these signs of progress also bring concerns that it could be erased. Many businesses are pushing for a faster reopening timeline, including Disneyland, Universal Studios and other theme parks, which wrote a letter to Newsom this week urging him to quickly issue guidelines so they can start allowing visitors again. Also this week, a group of nearly 300 fitness centers filed suit against the governor protesting their extended closure.

Sacramento Bee, September 18, 2020
California is recalling N95 masks obtained through a $90 million contract with Advoque, a company based in Santa Clara, after federal regulators revoked certification for the masks last week. The California Department of Public Health announced this week that organizations possessing Advoque N95 masks “immediately cease use and distribution of this product” and notify the state so officials can send replacements. In a letter to customers Wednesday, the company said the problem arose when some masks were tested at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and fell short of the agency’s standards for N95 designation.

Sacramento Bee, September 17, 2020
California will require employers to let their employees know if they had any potential exposure to Covid-19 at their workplaces under a new law Gov. Newsom signed on Thursday. It was one of two new laws he signed to improve coronavirus protections for workers.

Assembly Bill 685 requires employers to provide written notice to all employees and employers of subcontractors who were at the same worksite as an individual who is ordered to self-isolate or has tested positive for Covid-19. Employers must give the notice within one business day of finding out that their subcontractor at the worksite or employees has tested positive or is ordered to self-isolate.
Senate Bill 1159 codifies an executive order Newsom issued that presumes employees sick with Covid-19 caught the coronavirus at work, unless employers can prove otherwise.

LA Times, September 17, 2020
If Los Angeles County can continue its downward trend of coronavirus cases, Los Angeles County could see additional reopenings in the next month, the county’s public health chief said Wednesday. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the county’s Department of Public Health, said during an online news conference that the daily average of new cases was still preventing the county from moving to a less restrictive tier for reopening. The county has a daily average of 8.1 cases for each 100,000 residents. That number needs to be under 7.0 for L.A. County to move up from the most restricted tier, Ferrer said.

LA Times, September 17, 2020
After months of discussion, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health will move forward with emergency statewide standards to address what worker advocates have been calling “an occupational health emergency.” A seven-member board appointed by Gov. Newsom voted unanimously Thursday to begin creating standards that would require employers to take stricter precautions against Covid-19.

The board oversees standards enforced by the agency, better known as Cal/OSHA. The board’s decision jump-starts a fast-tracked process that could result in emergency statewide workplace requirements in a matter of months. It also opens a door for potential permanent changes relating to all infectious diseases, including any future “novel pathogens.”

CalMatters, September 17, 2020
Starting this week, Santa Barbara County has adopted new rules aimed at preventing explosive Covid-19 outbreaks among farmworkers brought on a special visa from other countries to harvest produce in the U.S. The public health order requires agricultural guest workers to be screened daily for coronavirus symptoms and isolated immediately if they exhibit symptoms, and that the housing operator notify the county as soon as a positive case is detected — or face a $1,000 penalty.
US News
CNN, September 18, 2020
Daily US coronavirus cases have been ticking up recently, a trend medical experts have said they won't want to see as a potentially complicated flu season approaches. New daily cases averaged about 39,700 over a week as of Thursday -- and that average has risen the past five days, data from Johns Hopkins University show. This comes after weeks of decline from a summer surge. It's well below the summer peak average of 67,300 on July 22. But health experts have said they fear it might be too high to prevent big spikes this fall, as colder weather sends more people indoors, increasing the risk of spreading both Covid-19 and the flu.

Bloomberg, September 18, 2020
The U.S. will top 200,000 deaths from the novel coronavirus in coming days, a devastating milestone that comes eight months after the pathogen was first confirmed on American soil. The U.S., with 4% of the world’s population, accounts for about 21% of global coronavirus deaths. The disparity underscores America’s failure to contain a virus that blazed through populous states like Texas, Florida and California this summer despite predictions that warmer weather could bring a respite.

Data show U.S. virus deaths have occurred disproportionately among people in at-risk categories, including individuals age 65 and older, people of color and those with other health conditions. Deaths have also been concentrated in certain parts of the country, with more than 70% reported in only 12 states, including New York, New Jersey, Texas, California and Florida, according to a Bloomberg analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.

NPR, September 18, 2020
The pandemic's disproportionate financial impact on communities of color reflects — and is worsening — existing racial disparities in wealth. Sixty percent of Black households are facing serious financial problems since the pandemic began, according to a national poll released this week. That includes 41% who say they've used up most or all their savings, while an additional 10% had no savings before the outbreak.

Latinos and Native Americans are also disproportionately affected by the pandemic's economic impact. Seventy-two percent of Latino and 55% of Native American respondents say their households are facing serious financial problems, compared with 36% of whites.

Science, September 17, 2020
By now 120,000 Covid-19 cases and 1,000 deaths have been documented among people incarcerated in U.S. prisons alone. As cases surged, public health experts amplified a long-standing, unfulfilled demand of criminal justice reform advocates: Lock fewer people up. Because of the virus, decarceration efforts suddenly made speedy progress. Nationwide, jail populations plunged by about 25% between March and June, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice. N
The result is a major experiment in public health and criminal justice. 

Wall Street Journal, September 17, 2020
A debate over the safety and timing of a possible Covid-19 vaccine has become a flashpoint in the presidential campaign and within the Trump administration, as well as in a key Senate race that could determine control of the chamber next year. The fight also could have broad ramifications on the national discussion shaping people’s willingness to get a vaccine once it is available, with polls showing sharp differences between Democratic and Republican voters in their views on inoculations. Polling shows partisan splits on vaccines, with Democrats both more likely to be skeptical of political interference, but also more likely to take the vaccine if it becomes available.

In a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last week, 85% of Democrats worried that political pressure would lead the FDA to rush authorization of a vaccine without making sure it is safe and effective, compared with 35% of Republicans. If a vaccine was authorized before Election Day, 60% of Republicans said they wouldn’t get the vaccine, compared with 46% of Democrats.

Washington Post, September 17, 2020
Hyder, Alaska, and Stewart, British Columbia, which have reported no cases of Covid-19, are pushing Canada to designate the region an “integrated trans-border community,” exempt from travel restrictions and quarantines. Lawmakers representing Point Roberts, Wash., and Minnesota’s Northwest Angle have asked Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair to ease and clarify the rules.
Support for a travel bubble is widespread. Stewart Mayor Gina McKay said she worries about her Hyder neighbors, and whether they’ll be able to adequately prepare for winter and months more of isolation.
CA Education News
SF Chronicle, September 17, 2020
Six months after schools shut down, many families and students are desperate for classrooms to open, saying distance learning is a poor substitute for live learning. But as private schools gear up for in-person classes, all eyes are on San Francisco’s public school district, which serves 53,000 students and is far from bringing back any children to the classroom.

So far, 75 private and public charter schools have submitted letters of intent to reopen, with 33 of them submitting full applications. Each will be inspected to ensure a long list of requirements are met before the city allows in-person classes to resume. San Francisco Unified public schools have not submitted any applications and are unlikely to do so in the near future. The district is still working out facilities and transportation issues, testing protocols, as well as adequate supplies of soap, hand sanitizer and other resources while also negotiating labor agreements with teachers and other staff. The district is also navigating a budget shortfall while paying for the health and safety upgrades.

CalMatters, September 16, 2020
Zoom classes will need to stick around for at least another year at the University of California, according to the system’s top health official. Dr. Carrie L. Byington, executive vice president of the sprawling UC Health system, said Wednesday that Covid-19’s impact on public health will require the university to continue its modifications, which include almost all classes done virtually and extremely reduced on-campus housing capacity, through September of 2021, improving gradually each month through July of 2022.

EdSource, September 17, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic surges into autumn, California’s students, teachers and families are embarking on an extraordinary school year. Most of the usual back-to-school traditions have been scrapped. Now, students in most parts of the state are getting to know new teachers, learning new skills and meeting new friends virtually, in a high-tech experiment that will likely affect education in California for years to come.

In a continuing series, EdSource will be tracking families throughout the state — from the mountains of far Northern California to the urban hubs of San Diego and Los Angeles to the farm fields of the Central Valley and everywhere in between. We’ll find out what’s working, what’s not and how students and their families feel about the state of our K-12 public education system as it adapts to these tumultuous times.

Sacramento Bee, September 17, 2020
Just days before thousands of students in the Placer County community of Rocklin are scheduled to return to public school campuses, the district’s teachers union has filed a grievance that raises concerns about whether enough safety precautions are in place to keep students and teachers safe from Covid-19.
US Education News
NPR, September 17, 2020
As the school year began, NPR put out a call asking teachers who are also parents to tell us about their experiences. We heard back from nearly 100. They told us of losing colleagues to the coronavirus, staying up past midnight planning lessons and having nightmares about returning to school. We heard these feelings echoed from all over the United States. In places like El Paso, Texas, where Andrea Aguirre teaches sixth-grade English and has two children, one with Tourette syndrome: "I have never worked harder in my life, the level of mental fatigue is tremendous and there is no downtime."

NY Times, September 18, 2020
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday once again delayed the start of most in-person classes in the New York City public schools, acknowledging that the system had still not fully surmounted the many obstacles that it faced in bringing children back during the pandemic. The abrupt announcement was a blow to the mayor’s effort to make New York one of the few major cities in the nation to hold in-person classes. 

CNN, September 18, 2020
School districts across the country are navigating out how to reopen safely amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic, and the results of a new study could make those decisions more difficult.
Between 42% and 51% of all school employees in the US met the CDC's criteria for either having an increased risk or potentially increased risk for Covid-19 infection, researchers with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found. Underlying health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, and older age put people into the highest risk groups, according to the CDC.
 
Kaiser Health News, September 17, 2020
Nigel Goldenfeld and Sergei Maslov, two University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign physics researchers, created a predictive model for the campus, which showed that with a robust, twice-a-week testing program for students, faculty and staff who are regularly on campus, a mask mandate and an app for contact tracing, Covid-19 cases could be kept below 500 people for the whole semester. They even accounted for close interactions among college students. But that model failed to take into account that kids who test positive for the virus, whether sick or asymptomatic, might continue to party.

NPR, September 17, 2020
Nearly 30 Massachusetts high school students have been told to quarantine after parents sent their child to school despite knowing that the teen was positive for the coronavirus. The students, who attend Attleboro High School, will be required to quarantine for two weeks. Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux told NPR that the student should have been self-isolating since Sept. 9 — the day the student was tested for the coronavirus. However, the parents of the student continued to send the teen to school even after receiving the positive results on Friday.
14-year-old who beat Covid-19 nearly died twice
Doctors at CHOC Children's Hospital in Orange County say 14-year-old Agustina Rojas was the sickest Covid-19 patient they've had so far. But like a champ, the teen beat the virus and she's finally at home after spending 57 days in the ICU.

"When I came home, I just hugged my whole family 'cause I missed them so much," she said.

The last time she saw them was back when her dad rushed her to the hospital.

Although she was medically sedated most of the time and doesn't remember much, doctors said she was close to death, twice.

"I happened to be on call one night where she again got very, very sick, very acutely, and I didn't know (if) she was going to live through that night," said Dr. Jason Knight.

But thanks to a group effort with various providers and Agustina's ability to fight, they said they were able to improve her condition and ultimately help her survive
Dr. Knight said the patients they worry about the most are those with heart or lung problems, chronic diseases that affect the immune system, patients with cancer and obesity, the largest risk factor.

Now, Agustina has a message to kids about their overall health.

"Stay healthy, eat right, eat your vegetables, eat anything healthy, like don't eat any junk food or this and that," she said.

And if you do get the virus, she said to be brave like her and be confident.

Source: ABC News
International News
Reuters, September 18, 2020
Israel entered a second nationwide lockdown on Friday at the onset of the Jewish high-holiday season, forcing residents to stay mostly at home amid a resurgence in new coronavirus cases. The new lockdown, due to last three weeks, coincides with the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, traditionally a time for large family gatherings.

Under new rules approved overnight by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, Israelis must stay within 1,000 meters (1,094 yards) of home, with exceptions for activities such as commuting to workplaces that will operate on a limited basis. Social distancing and limits on the number of worshippers will go into effect at synagogues, usually packed for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement that begins at sunset on Sept 27.

Reuters, September 18, 2020
European nations from Denmark in the north to Greece in the south announced new restrictions on Friday to curb surging coronavirus infections in some of their largest cities, and Britain was considering a new national lockdown. Infections have climbed steadily across most of Europe over the last two months. Intensive care admissions and deaths have also begun to tick up, especially in Spain and France. Europe is still hoping not to follow the example of Israel, which entered a second nationwide lockdown on Friday at the onset of the Jewish high-holiday season, following a jump in new coronavirus cases.

NPR, September 18, 2020
Just weeks ago, Kenya was girding for the worst. As the country reported hundreds of cases daily, the health minister asked schools to prepare rooms to isolate all the people hospitals wouldn't be able to treat. Cemeteries dug mass graves. But then, just as quickly as the cases rose, they plummeted.

They went from a peak of more than 600 cases a day in August to fewer than 100 the past three days. The same proportion of people have been infected in Kenya's two biggest cities as have been infected in some of the hardest hit parts of New York City. But not only has the death rate been low, but the country's health ministry has repeatedly stated that about 90 percent of Kenyans who have tested positive have proven asymptomatic. The first wave of Covid-19 has seemingly come and gone with fewer than expected deaths – just over 600 — leaving many baffled.

Bloomberg, September 18, 2020
In Latin America’s big cities, as in other places around the globe, it almost feels like the virus never happened. But it’s especially noteworthy because the region, with 8% of the world’s population, accounts for a third of infections and fatalities. Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina are all in the top 10 worst-hit countries in the world.

So there is both greater thirst and greater risk for a return to “normality” in a region not known for either good government or public compliance. Health officials say quarantines are the best way to stop the virus but are no longer viable over the long term and so societies must do their best to manage the illness.

BBC, September 18, 2020
Once lauded for its containment of the virus, Singapore's success crumbled when the virus reached its many foreign worker dormitories, something activists say should have been seen coming a mile off. Now months on, Singapore is reporting single figure daily cases in the local community. People are going back to work, cinemas have reopened and laughter can be heard coming out of restaurants again. But many of Singapore's lowest earners remain indoors, facing uncertainty.
Analysis/Opinion
Jeneen Interlandi, editor, NY Times, September 18, 2020
Offices will probably not look anywhere close to normal until at least next summer, if not next fall. Neither will schools. Students who are returning without incident now may find themselves stuck at home come November or December. On the flip side, students whose schools are scrambling today may end up with steady in-person instruction through the winter months, if their districts develop better testing strategies and communication plans.

Thanksgiving and Christmas will be difficult for many. Large indoor gatherings, especially with people who have travelled from afar, will continue to pose a risk that no family testing strategy can eliminate. Even if you test negative and quarantine before you leave, you can still contract the virus while on route, and become contagious without realizing it.

Maria L. LaGanga, LA Times, September 17, 2020
As wildfires rage in the West and hurricanes pummel the Gulf Coast, disaster aid has been forced to evolve, for better or for worse. When large-scale disasters strike in states with looser restrictions than California’s, the Red Cross has instituted coronavirus precautions in group shelters: health screenings, mandatory face coverings, staggered meal times, extra space between cots and tables. That also means no dining halls. No in-person counseling, no hugs, no tissues to dry tears.

John Wildermuth, SF Chronicle, September 16, 2020
Worries about the coronavirus and support for continuing and even increasing state and local restrictions are highest among the state’s poor and communities of color, while concerns are far lower among white residents and the better-off, according to a new poll.

“It’s a tale of two different Californias,” said Mark Baldassare, CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California and the poll’s director. While 28% of California adults overall are very concerned that they will be hospitalized because of the coronavirus, that number rises to 34% among those in households making less than $40,000 a year, 48% among African Americans and 39% among Latinos, the institute’s poll found.

By contrast, only 17% of people in households making $80,000 or more are very concerned, along with 19% of white respondents. In the Bay Area, only 20% of all adults are very concerned, the lowest percentage of any part of the state.

Joe Pinkser, The Atlantic, September 16, 2020
Whatever the end of the pandemic might look like, the United States is nowhere close to it at the moment. But when the threat of the pandemic does eventually subside, the process will likely be gradual and incremental. “I don’t think there’s going to be, all of a sudden, one day when we can all go make out with people at the grocery store,” Julia Marcus, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, told me. “Our concept of how the pandemic will end is just as oversimplified as the way we’ve approached everything else about it.”

As a matter of epidemiology, there’s no clear-cut criterion that determines a pandemic to be over. One intuitive end point is full-on eradication—meaning that the coronavirus no longer circulates in humans or animals—but that outcome is quite unlikely, in part because of how easily the virus could continue to reach still-susceptible groups of people anywhere on Earth even well into the future. At any rate, a metric like that does not translate to straightforward guidance on when it’s safe for people to do certain things again.
East Bay Focus
County Reopening Status (as of 9/15/20)
Alameda County Metrics
Widespread (Purple)
  • 6.0 New Covid-19 positive cases per day per 100,000 residents
  • 5.6 Adjusted case rate
  • 3.4% Positivity rate
Contra Costa County Metrics
Widespread (Purple)
  • 7.1 New Covid-19 positive cases per day per 100,000 residents
  • 7.1 Adjusted case rate
  • 4.7% Positivity rate
Every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks, it will be assigned a more restrictive tier. For Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to move down to the next tier (red), daily new cases (per 100k) must be between 4-7 and positive tests must be between 5-8% for two consecutive weeks. The data will be updated next Tuesday.
by day as of 9/17/20
by day as of 9/17/20
Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have confirmed 452 new cases, which amounts to 27 cases per 100,000 residents.
Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have confirmed 674 new cases, which amounts to 59 cases per 100,000 residents.
Top 8 Locations of Cases in Alameda County, as of 9/17/20. Alameda County does not publish cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days by city.
Oakland: 7,995

Hayward: 2,897

Fremont: 1,361

Eden MAC: 1,270

San Leandro: 1,095

Livermore: 843

Union City: 726

Castro Valley: 506
Top 8 Locations of Cases in Contra Costa County plus (in parentheses) cases per 100,000 in last 14 days, as of 9/17/20
Richmond: 23,037 (230)

Antioch: 2,111 (206)

Concord: 2,077 (167)

Pittsburgh: 1,747 (226)

San Pablo: 1,360 (340)

Bay Point: 832 (441)

Brentwood: 568 (75)

Walnut Creek: 562 (63)
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.
Mask On Eden Area
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 and community in the Eden Health District area. The posters are free and intended for businesses, health clinics, schools, churches, public agencies and nonprofit organizations to display in their entrances.

“Wearing masks in public or any gatherings, including events with friends and extended families, is essential for slowing the spread of the virus,” stated Eden Health District Director Pam Russo. “We are seeing signs of progress in California, Alameda County remains a Covid-19 'hot spot' in the Bay Area. Please wear a mask to protect yourself while protecting others.”
The public is welcome to download and print or share “Mask On” posters from the District’s website. Posters are available in English, Spanish and Chinese languages.

Posters may also be retrieved during business hours from the lobby of the Eden Health District office building located at 20400 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley. Posters for the City of Hayward are also available from the Hayward Chamber of Commerce located at 22561 Main Street, Hayward.
Public Education Covid-19 Flyers
Contra Costa County Health Services has recently published highly informative flyers addressing the risks of becoming infected in certain settings and activities.
Eden Area Food Pantries
We have posted information on food pantries and food services in the cities of Hayward and San Leandro and unincorporated Alameda County including Castro Valley and San Lorenzo. You can access the information here on our website. Alameda County has also released an interactive map listing food distributions and other social services. 
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The Eden Health District Board of Directors are Gordon Galvan, Chair, Mariellen Faria, Vice Chair, Roxann Lewis and Pam Russo. 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.

Each bulletin includes a summary of the top health, Bay Area, California, national, education and international news on the pandemic plus links to a diverse range of commentary and analysis. We publish the Bulletin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, unless the day fall on a public holiday.

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We welcome your feedback on our bulletin. Please contact editor Stephen Cassidy.