COVID-19
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Recommendations From Alameda County and The City of Berkeley On How to Celebrate Halloween And Día de los Muertos Safely And Prevent Spreading COVID-19 Among Friends And Neighbors
County of Alameda and City of Berkeley health officials would like to remind residents that many commonly celebrated Halloween and Día de los Muertos activities carry risk for spreading COVID-19. Limiting yourself to small gatherings and implementing extra safety measures - especially when everyone is not vaccinated—can help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Together, we all need to do as much as we can to protect ourselves and those around us, including young children who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Alameda County Public Health Department Read more
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Contra Costa County Officials To Likely Declare COVID-19 Misinformation Its Own Health Crisis
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will likely officially declare misinformation concerning COVID-19 a public health crisis in itself. The resolution says there's been more than 95,000 cases of COVID-19 countywide and 921 deaths as of September 25, 2021. It also points out vaccine "misinformation has caused confusion and led to eligible people declining COVID-19 vaccines, rejecting health measures such as face coverings and physical distancing, and using unproven treatments."
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Has COVID Pushed Bay Area Stressors To The Breaking Point?
It may never have been an easy place to live, but malaise and uncertainty now have settled heavy over the Bay Area. The maddening, deadly and ever-extending COVID-19 pandemic has laid another smothering layer of stress on an already stressed-out region - fundamentally changing how we feel about home and work, our community and safety, and the long-term prospects of living in the Bay Area, according to an exclusive new poll by the Bay Area News Group and Joint Venture Silicon Valley. A striking 60 percent of Bay Area residents surveyed said they feel more stressed since the pandemic hit and roughly 1 in 3 people said that their mental health has deteriorated over the past five years. Mercury News Read more
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What Bay Area Doctors Say About How COVID Affects The Brain
While driving recently, Cliff Morrison suddenly found himself lost in a forest. He pulled over, looked around and realized he was actually on a tree-lined street half a mile from his home in the Oakland hills, heading to the post office. Morrison, 70, did not have dementia. He had COVID-19. Since his diagnosis in April 2020, Morrison, a health care administrator, has experienced a mysterious and mercifully brief loss of orientation four or five times, most recently around Labor Day, and always near home. It no longer frightens the bejeezus out of him. Now, he’s just curious. SF Chronicle Read more
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City Of Alameda Offers Free COVID-19 Testing
The City of Alameda is partnering with NextGen Laboratories to provide free COVID-19 testing. Both walk-ups and appointments will be available. Anyone over two years old may be tested. Individuals do not need to experience symptoms to be tested, and testing is done at no cost. If you have insurance, enter your plan information when you schedule your appointment. If you do not have insurance, government funding will cover all costs. Alameda Sun
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San Francisco To Welcome Cruise Ships After 19-Month Hiatus
Cruise ships are returning to San Francisco after a 19-month hiatus brought on by the pandemic in what’s sure to be a boost to the city’s economy, the mayor announced Friday. The Majestic Princess will sail into the port of San Francisco today, the first cruise ship to dock in the San Francisco Bay Area since March 2020 when the Grand Princess captured the world's attention and made the coronavirus real to millions in the United States. AP Read more
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COVID-19 Booster Shots Now Surpassing Initial Vaccination Doses By Nearly Half
America’s booster shots are booming. An NBC News analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that the number of people receiving booster shots is outpacing those getting their first or second doses of the initial vaccination, and is contributing to a modest increase in Covid vaccinations in October. Of the 6.7 million shots administered from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, nearly 2.7 million were booster shots. That’s compared to the nearly 2 million first doses and nearly 2 million second doses in the same period. NBC News Read more
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As Winter Looms, Experts Say More Vaccinations Are Needed To Keep The Virus At Bay
A surge driven by the Delta variant is receding in the United States, but officials and experts say that increased transmission during the coming colder months remains a threat and that steady rates of vaccination are key to keeping the coronavirus at bay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that about 56 percent of the U.S. population was fully vaccinated. Providers are administering an average of about 949,000 doses per day, including first, second and additional doses, far below the April peak but higher than the recent Sept. 28 low point of about 625,000, according to a New York Times database. NY Times Read more
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COVID-19 Vaccines And Testing: A Timeline Of What’s Next
As the days shorten and people come indoors, what should we expect as we head into our second COVID-19 autumn and winter? Last year, Thanksgiving and Christmas triggered a pandemic spike. Over holiday season 2020, California’s daily case counts climbed as high as 54,000. In contrast, the state is now reporting about 5,500 new cases a day. While nothing is certain, there is more optimism. “We’re in a much better place than we were last year,” said UC San Francisco epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford.
“I think we’ll see a small to moderate winter surge,” Rutherford predicted. It won’t be as pronounced as last winter’s pandemic but may mimic the smaller spike in cases experienced in August, he said. Mercury News Read more
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COVID Immunity Through Infection Or Vaccination: Are They Equal?
Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a University of California-Irvine psychiatry professor, felt he didn’t need to be vaccinated against COVID because he’d fallen ill with the disease in July 2020. So, in August, he sued to stop the university system’s vaccination mandate, saying “natural” immunity had given him and millions of others better protection than any vaccine could. A judge on Sept. 28 dismissed Kheriaty’s request for an injunction against the university over its mandate, which took effect Sept. 3. While Kheriaty intends to pursue the case further, legal experts doubt that his and similar lawsuits filed around the country will ultimately succeed. Kaiser Health News Read more
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Fully Vaccinated And Had COVID-19? No Rush For A Booster Shot, Experts Say
People who both had COVID-19 and are vaccinated don't need to rush to get the boosters now rolling out across the U.S., health experts say. Several studies suggest that people who have had COVID-19 and were fully vaccinated have strong protection, including against variants, and probably don’t need the boost, though the research is preliminary and data is incomplete, according to scientists who specialize in vaccines and immunology. More is known about people who had COVID-19 and then were vaccinated, scientists said, than those who were vaccinated and had breakthrough infections. Wall Street Journal Read more
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Why Lawsuits Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Will Likely Fail
From teachers to airlines workers, some employees who have faced termination for not complying with their company's COVID-19 vaccine mandates have gone to court to fight the decisions. Some of the plaintiffs, such as New York City Department of Education employees, a handful of Los Angeles county public employees and United Airlines workers, have argued that the mandates should be removed, questioning the rules' constitutionality and some contending their religious rights weren't observed. So far, these arguments have not swayed judges who have almost all ruled in favor of the employer.
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More Effective Flu Shots May Emerge From The mRNA Technology Behind Two Successful COVID Vaccines
While not as virulent as the coronavirus, the flu has a staggering global impact: three million to five million cases of severe illness every year, and up to 650,000 deaths. Every few decades, a new flu strain spills over from animals and leads to a pandemic. Flu vaccines have been around for eight decades, but they remain mediocre. A flu shot is good for only one flu season, and its effectiveness typically reaches somewhere between 40 and 60 percent. In some years it’s as low as 10 percent. NY Times
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State/National/International News
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Charts Show The Incredibly Stark Difference In COVID-19 Death Rates Between Vaccinated And Unvaccinated In California
Unvaccinated Californians were between 15 and 20 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than vaccinated ones when deaths from the disease most recently peaked at the start of September, according to state data. The California Department of Public Health publishes data on the vaccination status of people who test positive for coronavirus as well as people who are hospitalized with, and die from, COVID-19. Their data shows that the death rate among unvaccinated Californians aged 16 and older soared in early September, reaching a peak of 13 average daily deaths per million on Sept. 6. SF Chronicle Read more
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The Rate Of COVID-19 Cases Is Dropping Nationally But Rising In Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan and Pennsylvania
The big picture for COVID-19 in the U.S. is looking a little brighter as new infections and hospitalizations decline. "That's the good news. And hopefully it's going to continue to go in that trajectory downward," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "But we just have to be careful we don't prematurely declare victory in many respects. We still have around 68 million people who are eligible to be vaccinated that have not yet gotten vaccinated," Fauci said Sunday. CNN
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COVID And The Holidays: Is it Finally Safe To Gather For Thanksgiving?
It’s that time of year when people are making plans for the holidays, and much has changed since last November when health officials urged everyone to limit social activities as COVID-19 cases spread like wildfire. So is it safe to gather at grandma’s again for your Thanksgiving feast? For now, public health officials and medical experts are holding off on “official” holiday guidance, anxiously eyeing case rates for signs that the virus’s current retreat might reverse like it did last fall. They say people should assess their own risk tolerance and follow health guidance to celebrate as safely as possible. East Bay Times Read more
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Pfizer Will Vaccinate Entire City In Brazil As Part Of Study
In the southwestern Brazilian city of Toledo, you won’t find much vaccine skepticism. About 98 percent of eligible residents there have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, according to municipal officials. Most received the vaccine offered by Pfizer, and this week the drug maker said that presented an opportunity: Pfizer announced that it would fully vaccinate everyone in the city over the age of 12 so it can carry out a study of the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. The company will work with local health officials, a hospital, a university and Brazil’s national vaccination program to monitor the transmission of the coronavirus in a “real-life scenario” after the whole population has been vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech serum, Pfizer said. NY Times Read more
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As International Travel Returns, Confusion Over Vaccines Reigns
Over the summer, many countries across the world opened to international visitors following the successful rollout of vaccination programs. But fragmented rules about which vaccines will be accepted and what documentation is required, as well as a lack of compatibility between vaccine apps, have left many travelers confused and frustrated over where they can visit without extraordinary headaches and restrictions. NY Times Read more
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Sydney Celebrates End Of 107-Day Lockdown
The Australian city of Sydney has emerged from lockdown after almost four months, with locals celebrating a range of new freedoms. People queued for pubs and bars that opened at midnight on Monday specifically for the occasion. Many others have been enjoying anticipated reunions and visits to the homes of relatives and friends. COVID rules had banned household visits and travel beyond a 5km (3.1 miles) zone, separating many families. BBC Read more
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 584,034
California: 4,774,445
U.S.: 44,340,464
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 2,386,896
Cases: 116,147
Deaths: 1,356
Test Positivity: 1.6%
Hospitalized Patients: 134
ICU Beds Available: 111
Cases have increased recently and are high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has fallen the Alameda County area. Deaths have increased. The test positivity rate in Alameda County is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is adequate for evaluating COVID spread in the area. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 6,453
California: 69,994
U.S.: 713,359
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,697,036
Cases: 97,067
Deaths: 958
Test Positivity: 2.4%
Hospitalized Patients: 91
ICU Beds Available: 37
Cases have increased recently and are very high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has fallen in the Contra Costa County area. Deaths have increased. 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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COVID-19 Is Most Transmissible 2 Days Before, 3 Days After Symptoms Appear, Study Finds
COVID-19 is very contagious. That much isn’t up for debate. However, the exact period when infected individuals are at their most contagious has remained unclear. Now, a new study is shedding some much-needed light on the matter. Boston University researchers report COVID-19 positive individuals are at their most contagious two days before and three days after symptoms appear. Additionally, the study also finds infected individuals are more likely to be asymptomatic if they contracted the coronavirus from a primary case (the first infected person in an outbreak) who also happens to be asymptomatic. KRON4 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 past week, Alameda County has averaged 155 new cases and 2.1 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 145 new cases and 3.6 new death per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 10/11/21
Oakland: 36,905
Hayward: 16,848
Fremont: 10,199
Eden MAC: 7,366
San Leandro: 7,226
Livermore: 6,265
Union City: 4,961
Berkeley: 4,944
Castro Valley: 3,599
Newark: 3,441
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 10/11/21
Richmond: 14,778
Antioch: 14,193
Concord: 10,937
Pittsburg: 9,328
San Pablo: 6,434
Brentwood: 6,039
Oakley: 5,111
Walnut Creek: 4,167
Bay Point: 3,718
San Ramon: 3,122
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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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