COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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Alameda County’s New COVID Death Toll is 25% Lower Than Thought
A quarter of all deaths previously attributed to COVID-19 in Alameda County weren’t actually caused by the coronavirus, the Alameda County Public Health Department announced Friday. That puts the county’s new official COVID-19 death toll at 1,223, down from 1,634. The 25% decrease - or 411 cases - is due to the fact that COVID “wasn’t a direct cause” of death in these cases, according to county health officials. Oaklandside Read more
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Many Bay Area Restaurateurs Are Ending Tipping as They Reopen
On the latest menu at Che Fico Alimentari, just past the fava leaf pizza and porchetta sandwich, is a brief announcement of a consequential decision. It informs diners at the San Francisco Italian restaurant they now must pay an automatic 10% “dining-in charge.” Patrons can still tip if they’d like to, but the aim of the new charge is to take the emphasis off tipping as the sole driver of an employee’s ability to earn a living wage.
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COVID Lab Leak Theory: Why Berkeley Scientist Wants Answers
Throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts widely assumed the new coronavirus that has killed at least 3.7 million people worldwide got passed from an infected animal to humans, either in the animal’s natural environment or at a wildlife market. Now they’re revisiting whether the virus known as SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan might have leaked instead from a lab where researchers were studying such viruses, and potentially altering them in ways that could make them more contagious. Rasmus Nielsen, a professor of integrative biology at the UC Berkeley, was among 18 researchers from respected universities around the world who called for the scientific community to explore the lab-leak theory. Mercury News Read more
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San Mateo County Fair Returns With COVID-19 Restrictions in Place
The San Mateo County Fair kicked off Saturday and it featured carnival rides, music and even COVID-19 vaccinations on site. More than 250 people received COVID-19 vaccines in front of the main gate on Saturday. The county is offering incentives to get a shot including free admission to the county fair, $20 worth of free food and tickets for four carnival rides. NBC Bay Area Read more
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Assemblyman Bill Quirk Participates in Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Town Hall on June 10
June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month! Assemblyman Bill Quirk will join the Alzheimer's Association for a conversation about the brain on Thursday, June 10, at 1 p.m. on Zoom. Hear from experts about common warning signs of Alzheimer’s and what symptoms to look for in yourself and others, as well as tips to approach someone who is experiencing changes in their memory, the benefit of early detection and diagnosis, and more. Register
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Alameda County Launches a New $12M Initiative for the Hyper-Local Phase of the COVID-19 Response
Alameda County has released a request for proposals to encourage community-led coalitions to provide comprehensive community engagement and Vaccination Point of Distribution (POD) Customer/Client support services. For both of these tasks, the goal is to increase equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine and to begin laying the groundwork for post-pandemic community recovery. Alameda County Health Care Services Agency Read more
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Full FDA Approval Could Drive COVID-19 Vaccinations, But Experts Advise Against Waiting
One-third of unvaccinated U.S. adults say they will only get in line for the COVID-19 jab once it's fully approved, but medical experts say it can also be risky to wait. Moderna became the latest COVID-19 vaccine maker to apply for full approval by the Food and Drug Administration, announcing last week that it has started the process for approval in people ages 18 and up. That follows Pfizer's announcement in early May that it was seeking approval in those ages 16 and up. ABC News Read more
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A New Type Of COVID-19 Vaccine Could Debut Soon
A new kind of COVID-19 vaccine could be available as soon as this summer. It's what's known as a protein subunit vaccine. It works somewhat differently from the current crop of vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. but is based on a well-understood technology and doesn't require special refrigeration. In general, vaccines work by showing people's immune systems something that looks like the virus but really isn't. Consider it an advance warning; if the real virus ever turns up, the immune system is ready to try to squelch it. NPR Read more
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Children Ages 9-12 May Be Next Up For Vaccine
Dr. Anthony Fauci is “cautiously optimistic” that children younger than 12 will be eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine by Thanksgiving, he said on Thursday. “We are now doing studies that are ongoing as we’re speaking, studies that are looking at what we call age de-escalation, children from 12 to 9 and then 9 to 6 and then 6 to 2 and then 6 months to 2 years,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said. Mercury News Read more
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Colleges Say Students Must Get a COVID Vaccine
But No, Not That One
Milloni Doshi, a 25-year-old student from India who is supposed to start her master’s degree this fall at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, has a problem. Although Ms. Doshi has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, she received two doses of Covaxin, which is made by an Indian manufacturer and is not currently approved by the World Health Organization, as required by the university. Columbia has told her she will need to be revaccinated with a different vaccine once she arrives on campus, but no one can say for sure if it is safe to do so. NY Times Read more
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"Mix And Match" COVID Booster Jabs May Be Offered in UK
Ministers are considering giving people a different type of COVID vaccine as an autumn booster, it has emerged, after early results from “mix and match” trials appeared to show promise for an enhanced immune response. While people are currently offered two doses of the same jab, researchers have been exploring whether offering a second dose of a different COVID vaccine could generate a stronger immune response. The Guardian Read more
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The White House Says It Has Started Shipping Surplus COVID-19 Vaccines Abroad
The United States will send its first shipments of surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad on Thursday, spelling out for the first time how it will share its wealth of vaccines with parts of the world struggling to get shots in arms. The Biden administration has previously said it would share 80 million doses by the end of June. NPR Read more
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State/National/International News |
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California One of Just Two States at CDC's Lowest Level of COVID Transmission
California continues to help set the pace for U.S. COVID-19 recovery, now ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of just two states at the lowest level of coronavirus community transmission. In fact, according to the CDC’s four-level color-coded system, California’s transmission metrics were the lowest out of all 50 states as of Saturday. SF Chronicle Read more
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COVID Has Claimed More Than 600,000 Lives in United States
More than 600,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States, a grim reminder that even though cases are down as more people are vaccinated, the pandemic is not over. More than 33.4 million cases have been recorded in the U.S.
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CDC Director "Deeply Concerned" Over Rise in Teens Hospitalized With COVID
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday urged parents to vaccinate their teenagers against COVID-19, citing a rise in the number of adolescents hospitalized with the disease in March and April. "I am deeply concerned by the number of hospitalized adolescents and saddened to see the number of adolescents who required treatment in intensive care units or mechanical ventilation," CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a statement that accompanied a new study on teen hospitalizations. NBC News Read more
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New California COVID Mask Rules:
What is And Isn’t Allowed in The Workplace?
State regulators relaxed COVID-19 restrictions last week for California workers, but the new rules raise nearly as many questions as they answer. Starting June 15, vaccinated Californians don't need to wear a mask in the workplace - unless they are in a room with someone who has not been vaccinated. But that mandate conflicts with the latest, more lenient federal health guidelines, which Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is expected to adopt this month. And then there are county guidelines and individual business protocols to keep track of. To top it all off, the rules could change again in a matter of weeks.
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California Extends Ability For Restaurants to Serve Alcohol Outdoors, For Delivery And To-Go
In a boost for the struggling dining industry, California is extending the ability of restaurants and bars to serve alcoholic drinks in outdoor dining areas, for delivery and to-go through the rest of the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. Through Dec. 31, restaurants, bars, breweries and wineries can continue to serve alcoholic drinks in areas like sidewalks and parking lots, where businesses have set up tables during the COVID-19 pandemic. LA Times Read more
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How Scientists Are Already Hunting For California's Next COVID Variant
California is now sequencing up to 10% of all coronavirus cases, a huge improvement from less than 0.5% at the start of the year. That means the state is now, finally, doing enough sequencing that infectious disease experts say they have a good grasp of the types of variants spreading here, and they are confident that scientists will be able to spot any new mutations quickly.
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Antibody-Laden Nasal Spray Could Provide COVID Protection - And Treatment
A nasal spritz of a designer antibody offers strong protection against variants of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 - at least in mice.
Since the early days of the pandemic, scientists have been developing antibodies as treatments for COVID-19. Today, several such antibodies are in late-stage clinical trials, and a handful have been approved for emergency use by regulatory agencies in the United States and elsewhere. Nature Read more
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The Coronavirus Surges Across Africa as Vaccine Programs Flounder
A sudden, sharp rise in coronavirus cases in many parts of Africa could amount to a continental third wave, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday, a portent of deeper trouble for a continent whose immunization drives have been crippled by shortfalls in funding and vaccine doses. The W.H.O., an arm of the United Nations, said test positivity had risen in 14 African countries over the last seven days, with eight reporting a surge of over 30 percent in new cases. NY times Read more
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As COVID Dissipates in The U.S., Cold And Flu Viruses May Return With a Vengeance
A curious thing happened during the COVID-19 pandemic: With masks, social distancing, and Purell galore, we kept most other germs at bay. Flu vanished. Cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which in a normal winter puts nearly 60,000 children under age 5 in the hospital, were nonexistent. Most of us appeared to sidestep the soup of bugs that cause colds.
But as masks come off, schools reopen, and some travel resumes, we should expect a resurgence of these viruses - perhaps a big one. STAT Read more
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 445,324
California: 3,795,580
U.S.: 33,364,653
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 1,928,893
Cases: 89,141
Deaths: 1,268
Test Positivity: 0.6%
Hospitalized Patients: 58
ICU Beds Available: 119
Cases have decreased over the past week and are at a moderate level. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also fallen in the Alameda County area. Deaths have remained 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
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 6,201
California: 63,557
U.S.: 597,668
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,345,503
Cases: 69,945
Deaths: 804
Test Positivity: 1.2%
Hospitalized Patients: 39
ICU Beds Available: 46
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 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
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Hosting Your First Post-Pandemic Party? Here’s How to Prepare
Now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relaxed mask and social distancing recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals, you might be having people over for the first time in more than a year. And you might find yourself experiencing stress alongside the excitement about seeing family and friends. Here are some suggestions from event planners to help you pull off your first post-pandemic gathering. Washington Post 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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COVID Test Resources
Food Pantries
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Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have reported 221 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 13 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 282 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 25 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 6/6/21
Oakland: 27,787
Hayward: 13,778
Fremont: 8,104
Eden MAC: 5,993
San Leandro: 5,544
Livermore: 4,328
Union City: 4,047
Berkeley: 3,623
Newark: 2,814
Castro Valley: 2,599
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 6/6/21
Richmond: 11,718
Antioch: 9,758
Concord: 8,135
Pittsburg: 6,933
San Pablo: 5,309
Brentwood: 3,885
Oakley: 3,284
Walnut Creek: 2,903
Bay Point: 2,811
San Ramon: 2,138
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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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