COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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Spiking Bay Area COVID Hospitalizations "Almost Exclusively" Among Unvaccinated, Experts Say
Dr. Jorge Bernett has seen his share of heartbreak and loss, as an infectious disease specialist on the front lines of the COVID fight at John Muir Medical Center. And now, after weeks of low patient counts, he finds what's happening now especially concerning. "It's very disappointing," said Bernett. "The vast majority of people we're seeing are unvaccinated. That's been the driving force of our new patients at the hospital." ABC7 Read more
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Bay Area Businesses Ready to Rethink Plans For Return to Office
Workplaces have been whipsawed with uncertainty in recent months as coronavirus prevention rules have changed. The news Friday that seven Bay Area counties are recommending that vaccinated people wear masks indoors added another element of unpredictability. California rules for workplaces haven’t officially changed since they were updated last month, but companies are thinking twice in light of the new guidance from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties. SF Chronicle Read more
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Bay Area Restaurants Scramble With New Mask Guidance
Many restaurants were rushing Friday to respond to a new public health recommendation in seven Bay Area counties that advises vaccinated people to again wear masks indoors. Several restaurants quickly announced changes in their mask requirements for customers as concern increases about the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus. SF Chronicle Read more
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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
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Bay Area Counties Hold Night Time Vaccine Clinics to Better Accessibility
For months, medical experts across the Bay Area keep saying the best way to reduce infections is to increase vaccinations. Most of the mass vaccination sites across the region have closed, but pharmacies are still stocked with all three approved jabs, and some counties have started hosting special night time clinics - like in Castro Valley at the First Presbyterian Church of Hayward FirstPres. NBC Bay Area Read more
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U.S. Administers 337.24 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines
The United States has administered 337,239,448 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Saturday morning and distributed 390,100,705 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Saturday. Those figures are up from the 336,604,158 doses the CDC said had gone into arms by Friday, out of 389,359,835 doses delivered. The agency said 185,765,452 people had received at least one dose while 160,994,035 people were fully vaccinated as of Saturday. Reuters Read more
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COVID Vaccines For Kids Under 12 Expected Midwinter, FDA Official Says
Emergency authorization for COVID-19 vaccines in children under 12 could come in early to midwinter, a Food and Drug Administration official said Thursday, a move that could bring relief to many parents who have been unable to vaccinate their children. The agency hopes to then move quickly to full approval of the vaccine for this age group. One sticking point for some families who remain hesitant, the official said, is that the vaccines currently in use are administered under emergency use authorization and have not been given full approval by the FDA. Full approval, if it comes quickly after the emergency round, could alleviate that concern. NBC News Read more
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Vaccine "Obstinance" is Fueling Delta Variant’s Spread Across America
The Delta variant crept into Americans’ consciousness through a distant haze of funeral pyres. But now that the coronavirus strain first detected in India has burst upon communities across the United States, it has taken on a distinctly American look and feel. In Giddings, Texas, it’s 147 infections that roared through attendees of a church ministry camp. In Clark County, Nev., it’s a wave of close to 7,000 cases that sidelined three barbers at a Fade ’Em All shop in Las Vegas over the July 4 weekend even as a sister shop hosted a COVID-19 vaccine clinic. LA Times Read more
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Vaccine Inequity: Inside The Cutthroat Race to Secure Doses
No one disputes that the world is unfair. But no one expected a vaccine gap between the global rich and poor that was this bad, this far into the pandemic. Inequity is everywhere: Inoculations go begging in the United States while Haiti, a short plane ride away, received its first delivery July 15 after months of promises - 500,000 doses for a population over 11 million. Canada has procured more than 10 doses for every resident; Sierra Leone’s vaccination rate just cracked 1% on June 20. It’s like a famine in which “the richest guys grab the baker,” said Strive Masiyiwa, the African Union’s envoy for vaccine acquisition. AP Read more
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University of California Finalizes Plan to Require Vaccines Regardless of Full FDA Approval
Students, faculty and staff across the University of California this fall will be required to be vaccinated against COIVD-19 in order to access campuses, the system’s president said Thursday. The requirement marks a reversal from April, when UC was planning to require the vaccines only if one of the existing vaccines received full approval from the U.S, Food and Drug Administration, which has not yet occurred. Under UC’s policy, students and staff must show proof of vaccination two weeks before the start of the fall term, or earlier. EdSource Read more
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COVID Vaccinations Lag, Outbreaks Spread in Bay Area Homeless Shelters
Even as the Bay Area celebrates high COVID vaccination rates, the region is falling drastically short in efforts to inoculate thousands of people living on the street, in vehicles and in homeless shelters. In some counties, unhoused people are getting vaccinated at close to half the rate of the general population. Other counties aren’t even tracking vaccination rates in homeless communities, making it all but impossible to gauge their success and target areas for improvement. Mercury News Read more
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State/National/International News |
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The U.S. Surgeon General is Calling COVID-19 Misinformation An "Urgent Threat"
With about a third of adults in the U.S. still completely unvaccinated, and cases of COVID-19 on the rise, the U.S. surgeon general is calling for a war against "health misinformation." On Thursday, Dr. Vivek Murthy released the first surgeon general's advisory of his time serving in the Biden administration, describing the "urgent threat" posed by the rise of false information around COVID-19 - one that continues to put "lives at risk" and prolong the pandemic. NPR Read more
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Former FDA Chief Predicts "Most" Unvaccinated Americans Will Get Delta Variant
The former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration predicted Sunday that “most” unvaccinated Americans who haven’t already had COVID-19 will contract the Delta variant - and it will be the “most serious” virus of their lives. “This virus is so contagious, this variant is so contagious ... that most people will either get vaccinated or have been previously infected or they will get this delta variant,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned in an interview on “Face the Nation” on CBS. HuffPost Read more
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"Long COVID" Patients Face Daunting Symptoms, Expenses; Syndrome Not Well Understood
Harvard economists estimate if the pandemic ends in the fall, the cost of COVID will be an astronomical $16 trillion. Included on that spreadsheet is a certain group of patients who are suffering from the lingering symptoms of a COVID infection, a syndrome is now known as long COVID. The costs for these patients suffering post-acute COVID-19 syndrome, often known as “long-haulers,” may grow along with their persistent ailments and the confusion over their care. KPIX5 Read more
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Even Among Republicans, Men Are Willing to Get Vaccinated at Rate Significantly Higher Than Women
As cases have started increasing (again) and headlines have pointed to the rising tide of the delta variant, Republican vaccine resistance may have budged just a little bit. The number of Republicans saying they have been vaccinated ticked slightly up, while the number saying they would not be vaccinated moved slightly down. Republican men who say they have been vaccinated is 56% and the number who say they won’t be vaccinated is 37%. That “no” number is actually down by five points from the first of the month. Republican women who say they have already been vaccinated is a full 10 points lower, and the number who say they are still willing to be vaccinated is 11 points lower. Daily Kos Read more
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COVID-19 Still Killing Americans Faster Than Guns, Cars And Flu Combined
Even with half the U.S. vaccinated, COVID-19 continues to kill people faster than guns, car crashes and influenza combined, according to a review of mortality data. The situation has improved dramatically since January, when COVID-19 deaths outpaced heart disease and cancer as the country’s top killer, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Mercury News Read more
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First Athletes Test Positive Inside Olympic Village
Two athletes staying in the Olympic Village in Tokyo have tested positive for Covid-19, organizers said Sunday, marking the first instances of athlete infection in an area slated to house over 10,000 competitors for the Games’ start this Friday. The two athletes have been moved into a 14-day quarantine, organizers said, while others who have been in close contact with them have been asked to isolate. Forbes
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Canada Likely to Reopen Border to Vaccinated Americans in August
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday Canada could start allowing Americans fully vaccinated against the coronavirus into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel. He said the country should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September. CBS News Read more
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In Undervaccinated Arkansas, COVID Upends Life All Over Again
While much of the nation tiptoes toward normalcy, the coronavirus is again swamping hospitals in places like Mountain Home, a city of fewer than 13,000 people not far from the Missouri border. A principal reason, health officials say, is the emergence of the new, far more contagious variant called Delta. NY Times Read more
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 458,475
California: 3,860,499
U.S.: 34,085,761
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 2,113,981
Cases: 92,580
Deaths: 1,271
Test Positivity: 4.3%
Hospitalized Patients: 119
ICU Beds Available: 97
Cases have increased recently and are very 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
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 5,807
California: 64,094
U.S.: 609,041
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,474,826
Cases: 73,202
Deaths: 823
Test Positivity: 4.5%
Hospitalized Patients: 67
ICU Beds Available: 35
Cases have increased recently and are very 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
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Mythbusting: "COVID-19 Vaccines Will Cause You to Be Magnetic"
No, receiving a COVID-19 vaccine will not make you magnetic. All COVID-19 vaccines are free from metals. The vaccines do not contain any ingredients that can produce an electromagnetic field and the vaccine injection site, typically your arm, will not be magnetic. Rite Aid 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 1,420 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 86 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 1,093 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 96 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 7/18/21
Oakland: 29,172
Hayward: 14,123
Fremont: 8,352
Eden MAC: 6,185
San Leandro: 5,801
Livermore: 4,482
Union City: 4,156
Berkeley: 3,775
Newark: 2,874
Castro Valley: 2,717
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 7/18/21
Richmond: 12,150
Antioch: 10,387
Concord: 8,472
Pittsburg: 7,300
San Pablo: 5,478
Brentwood: 4,117
Oakley: 3,497
Walnut Creek: 3,017
Bay Point: 2,904
San Ramon: 2,221
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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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