COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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"Three weeks ago, I announced we would have enough vaccine supply for all Americans by the end of July. Now, with our efforts to ramp up production, we will have enough vaccines for every American by the end of May."
President Joe Biden
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COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic At La Familia Cherryland Facility
This clinic runs through Friday, March 5, and is by appointment only. To make an appointment call (510) 397-8696. Alameda County residents who are or work in: 65 and older; health care workers; long-term care facility residents; food/agriculture; education/childcare; and emergency service workers. Get more information
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New Federal COVID Vaccine Site in East Oakland Opens For Underserved Community
The roughly 500 people inoculated at the Eastmont Town Center on Monday and Tuesday received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which is being supplied by Alameda County Public Health Department. Caretakers, educators, emergency service workers, farmworkers, health care workers and other eligible walk-ups over the age of 65 who show up between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. until Friday, March 5, will be expected to return in about 21 days to this site or another for their second and final dose of the vaccine. Mercury News Read more
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Reports of Underdosing at Coliseum Vaccine Site Are False, State Officials Say
State officials are pushing back against a TV report that said thousands of people vaccinated at the Oakland Coliseum this week received doses smaller than they should be. Citing two unnamed emergency medical technicians, KTVU reported Wednesday that about 4,300 people who were vaccinated at the Oakland Coliseum before 2 p.m. on Monday “received the wrong vaccine doses” of the Pfizer vaccine because the syringes left some vaccine in the bottom of the container instead of injecting it all.
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Merck Will Help Make Johnson & Johnson Coronavirus Vaccine As Rivals Team Up to Help Biden Accelerate Shots
President Biden announced Tuesday that pharmaceutical giant Merck will help make Johnson & Johnson's single-shot coronavirus vaccine - an unusual pact between fierce rivals that is among several steps intended to boost supply as Biden pushes toward having enough shots for every adult by the end of May. Biden hailed the development as an example of industry coming together for the common good, in keeping with his frequent calls for a stronger emergency footing to combat the pandemic.
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Here's How the J&J Vaccine is Different From the Others
Two vaccines are already being distributed in the U.S. - one made by Moderna and another made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The new vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine division, is a little different. CNN Read more
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Up to 18 U.S. States Haven’t Prioritized COVID Vaccines For Homeless
As many as 18 states in the U.S. have not specifically prioritized the homeless community in their plans for distributing Covid-19 vaccines, despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizing the population as particularly high risk when it comes to the virus, a study has found. The Guardian Read more
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COVID-19 Vaccine Deliveries to African Nations Pick Up Speed
More African countries received their long-awaited first deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday, with Kenya and Rwanda benefiting from the global COVAX initiative that aims to ensure doses for the world’s low- and middle-income nations.
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A COVID-19 Vaccine Without a Needle?
The effort to vaccine the world against COVID-19 relies on the syringe and needle, using a 19th-century technology to get 21st-century science into the arms of billions. Now the race is on to find alternatives.
Executives such as David Hipkiss sense an opportunity. His firm, Enesi Pharma Ltd. of Oxfordshire, England, is developing a device that painlessly implants a vaccine-imbued tube of sugars smaller than a grain of rice under the skin. Wall Street Journal Read more
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Interpol Says Fake COVID-19 Vaccines Were Smuggled Across Continents
By the time police discovered the shipment of fake COVID-19 vaccines, the vials had travelled over 6,000 miles from China to South Africa, the work of a smuggling ring that has produced thousands of counterfeit doses, according to Interpol, the global police agency that helped break up the operation. Time Read more
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 411,544
California: 3,578,900
U.S.: 28,771,556
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 430,647
Cases: 80,904
Deaths: 1,244
Test Positivity: 3.6%
Hospitalized Patients: 165
ICU Beds Available: 106
Cases are high but have decreased over the past two weeks (-53%). The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also fallen 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 test capacity is meeting current demand. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 5,428
California: 52,829
U.S.: 518,900
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 329,139
Cases: 62, 818
Deaths: 681
Test Positivity: 4.7%
Hospitalized Patients: 91
ICU Beds Available: 54
Cases are very high but have decreased over the past two weeks (-34%). The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Contra Costa County area have also fallen. The test positivity rate in Contra Costa County is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is meeting current demand. NY Times
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Bay Area Coronavirus Deaths Fall 33% in February vs. January
COVID-19 remains a deadly disease - but it took fewer lives in February than it did the month before. The nine-county Bay Area saw a steep plunge, with COVID-19 deaths falling by a third in February compared to the month before. In all, the virus killed 1,127 people in the Bay Area last month, down 33% from January, when 1,677 people in the region died from the disease. An average of 40 people died from the coronavirus each day during February, down from January’s average of 54. SF Chronicle Read more
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Will Alameda County Enter The Red Tier Next Week?
Alameda County public health officials anticipate the county could be placed into the red tier early next week, should current coronavirus trends continue Alameda County is among four Bay Area counties that remain in the most-strict purple tier, though its neighbor to the south, Santa Clara County, was among seven in California that got the go-ahead to move into the red tier Tuesday. Castro Valley Patch Read more
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90K Vaccinations Could Be Canceled In NorCal Amid Dosage Deficit
A health care giant in Nothern California may have to cancel or reschedule more than 90,000 second dose coronavirus vaccine appointments because of a supply shortage, a spokesperson for Sutter Health told Patch on Tuesday. Sutter Health blamed a statewide supply crisis and said it may have to contact tens of thousands of patients over the next week to reschedule appointments for second doses. Castro Valley Patch Read more
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Second Case of Worrisome South Africa Variant Found in Alameda County
Alameda County officials have reported a second case of coronavirus infection caused by the variant from South Africa that is known to reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines. In both cases, the individuals were residents of Alameda County who had recently returned from traveling internationally, and almost certainly became infected with the variant overseas, public health officials said.
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Indoor Dining, Movies and Museums Reopening in S.F., Santa Clara and Napa Counties
Indoor dining and other activities that were shuttered or severely curtailed for more than three months were to resume on Wednesday in San Francisco, Santa Clara and Napa counties, which have moved into a less restrictive tier in the state’s pandemic reopening plan. With Marin and San Mateo counties, five of the region’s nine counties are now in the red tier; the other four remain in the purple tier. SF Chronicle Read more
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One Medical's Vaccine Practices Spark Congressional Investigation
The consequences are deepening for San Francisco-based concierge health care provider One Medical following an NPR investigation that found the company administered COVID-19 vaccinations to those with connections to leadership, as well as ineligible patients. The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis is launching its own investigation into the company's practices, NPR has learned. KQED Read more
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COVID Leaves Some Bay Area Domestic Violence Victims With Nowhere to Go
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing some Bay Area survivors of domestic violence to make a dangerous choice: stay with their abusers, or wind up on the streets. Shelters for victims of intimate partner abuse have had to reduce their capacity to combat the spread of COVID-19, exacerbating what was already a shortage of beds at a time when reports of domestic violence are on the rise. Mercury News Read more
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State/National/International News |
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California’s Positivity Rate Hits All-Time Low
California’s cases and deaths from COVID-19 rose slightly on the first day of March, compared to the week before, which increased the state’s daily average for each figure, however both remained well below highs set in January. Mercury News Read more
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Newsom, Lawmakers Reach School Reopening Deal
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders announced a deal Monday on the state’s school reopening efforts, offering billions of dollars in additional funding for schools that bring kids back to classrooms by the end of March. Newsom and lawmakers have been negotiating for two months amid mounting pressure to open campuses closed nearly a year by the coronavirus pandemic, as evidence grows that open schools have been able to operate safely and avoid significant outbreaks. Mercury News Read more
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You've Been Vaccinated - The CDC is Finalizing Guidance on What's Safe For You to Do
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is finalizing guidance aimed at clarifying what Americans who have received COVID-19 vaccines should and shouldn't do, according to two sources at the agency familiar with its drafting. The upcoming guidance, first reported by Politico, is expected to include that fully vaccinated individuals should be able to gather in small groups with other people who have also been vaccinated. The CDC currently does not recommend in-person gatherings with the general public, saying "gathering virtually or with the people you live with is the safest choice." CBS News Read more
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Can't Get a COVID Vaccine? In This County Everyone is Eligible
In most parts of the United States, getting a coronavirus vaccine can feel like trying to win the lottery. People scour the internet for appointments under complex eligibility standards that vary from state to state, and even county to county. In Indiana and Kentucky, anyone over 60 can get vaccinated, but you have to be 65 or 70 almost everywhere else. About 18 states are offering shots to grocery workers, and 32 are vaccinating teachers. Then there is Gila County, Ariz., where any resident over 18 can walk into a clinic without an appointment and get a vaccine. NY Times Read more
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Children’s Hospitals Grapple With Young Covid "Long Haulers"
A slumber party to celebrate Delaney DePue’s 15th birthday last summer marked a new chapter - one defined by illness and uncertainty. The teen from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, tested positive for COVID-19 about a week later, said her mother, Sara, leaving her bedridden with flu-like symptoms. However, her expected recovery never came. Kaiser Health News Read more
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How to Protect Yourself Against Coronavirus Variants
People should get vaccinated as soon as they’re able, and in the meantime, the best way to prevent infection with a new coronavirus variant is to stick to the fundamentals that we know work - keep wearing a mask, improve ventilation, socialize safely and get a vaccine - any vaccine. All three of the vaccines that have been approved for emergency use for the coronavirus are excellent at stopping severe disease. NY Times Read more
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How Falling Levels of COVID-19 Tests Could Threaten Pandemic Fight
As the effort to vaccinate Americans intensifies, daily COVID-19 test numbers are falling nationwide, an alarming sign to public health experts who say the tests are still crucial to containing the virus. The daily average for COVID tests is now just over 1 million a day as of mid-February - roughly a million less from where the country was a month ago, according to the COVID Tracking Project at Johns Hopkins University ABC News Read more
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"It's Like Buying Bruce Springsteen Tickets": Extra Doses Send Vaccine Seekers Scrambling
The clamor for hard-to-get vaccines has created armies of anxious Americans who haunt pharmacies at the end of the day in search of an extra, expiring dose and drive from clinic to clinic hoping that someone was a no-show to their appointment.
Some pharmacists have even given them a nickname: Vaccine lurkers.
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When Will Nursing Homes Reopen to Visitors? State Officials Won’t Say
Before the pandemic, Nancy Klein would spend up to seven hours a day at a nursing home in Riverside County, caring for her 53-year-old son, who was left unable to speak and move his limbs after a massive brain hemorrhage. She would suction his tracheotomy tube and massage his neck, arms and legs. But Klein has watched her son deteriorate in the past year.
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Texas is Ending Its Mask Mandate and Will Allow All Businesses to Fully Reopen
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said on Tuesday that he was ending his statewide mask mandate, effective March 10, and that all businesses in the state could then operate with no capacity limits. Mr. Abbott took the action after federal health officials warned governors not to ease restrictions yet because progress across the country in reducing coronavirus cases appears to have stalled in the last week. NY Times Read more
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Have You Tested Positive for COVID-19?
People who test positive for COVID-19 but aren't sick enough to need hospitalization are still required to isolate at home. CDC 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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Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have reported 1,275 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 78 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 953 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 84 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 3/3/21
Oakland: 25,113
Hayward: 12,718
Fremont: 7,205
Eden MAC: 5,502
San Leandro: 4,976
Livermore: 4,029
Union City: 3,718
Berkeley: 3,276
Newark: 2,598
Castro Valley: 2,337
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 3/3/21
Richmond: 9,556
Antioch: 8,701
Concord: 7,392
Pittsburg: 6,241
San Pablo: 4,887
Brentwood: 3,415
Oakley: 2,846
Bay Point: 2,573
Walnut Creek: 2,566
San Ramon: 1,860
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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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