COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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SF Mayor Announced 80% Of Residents Fully Vaccinated
As of Sunday, 80 percent of eligible San Francisco residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Mayor London Breed said. "This a major milestone but we still have work to do to make sure that all of us are protected," the mayor posted on her Twitter account. "Now is the time to take your shot if you haven't already." The city has 683,699 residents age 12 and older who have been vaccinated. Of those, 86 percent have received at least one dose and 80 percent have completed a full series. NBC Bay Area Read more
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CDC: Unvaccinated Marin County Teacher Caused Big COVID-19 Outbreak In School
An unvaccinated Marin County elementary school teacher caused an outbreak of COVID-19 among students and parents at the school in May, according to a new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak at a parochial school led to 27 total cases - five adults, including the teacher, and 22 students or siblings. Of the five infected adults, only two were unvaccinated - the teacher and one parent. All the students involved are too young to be eligible for vaccination. Of the 18 cases that were sequenced, all were found to be the fast-spreading Delta variant.
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Oakland Unified Says About 100 Students And Teachers Have COVID; Seven Classrooms Closed
Almost three weeks after Oakland Unified School District’s 35,000 students returned to classrooms since the start of the pandemic, dozens of students and teachers have reported getting COVID-19 off-campus and seven classes have been forced to temporarily close to prevent its spread. Earlier this week, however, district officials learned that at least 12 cases - some of which had prompted them to close classrooms - were based on false positive test results. Mercury News Read more
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COVID-19 Delta Variant Races Through Entire Oakland Household, Killing Father And Sending Mother To ICU
An Oakland family has been dealing with the heartbreaking loss of a father from COVID-19 as they’ve been holding out hope for their mother’s full recovery from the devastating illness. The father, Carlos Reyes, weeks shy of his 53rd birthday died on August 4th, which also happened to be the day after his wedding anniversary with his wife of 22 years. His family said that it was as if he wanted to make it to their anniversary before leaving. "He passed away at 6:55 a.m. the very next day. Almost felt like he knew, almost wanted to hold out, and he was doing his best," daughter Maricruz Martinez shared with KTVU. "He passed away in ICU while my mom was also in the ICU." KTVU Read more
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"Very Worried": S.F. Study Finds Virus Mutations Behind Many Breakthrough Cases
A study of nearly 1,400 San Francisco coronavirus cases between February and June found that people with breakthrough cases were more likely to be infected with a variant containing mutations that are resistant to the neutralizing antibodies that vaccines can induce. This suggests that if a predominant variant emerges after Delta that causes another peak in new cases, vaccines would likely be less effective against it, said the study’s lead author, UCSF virologist Dr. Charles Chiu.
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Contra Costa Orders County Workers To Be Vaccinated By October 4 Or Face Possible Termination
All Contra Costa County employees must be vaccinated by October 4 or face discipline up to and including termination, a county official said this week. It’s possible for employees to obtain a medical or religious exemption, though they must submit written documentation to support such a request. Should such an exemption be issued, the employee in question must undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. KPIX5 Read more
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President Biden suggested on Friday that the government could offer coronavirus vaccine booster shots to most vaccinated adults sooner than eight months after a second shot, underscoring the administration’s concerns about the spread of the Delta variant. NY Times Read more
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Mortuaries Fill, Hospitals Clog In Rural California Towns With Low Vaccination Rates
In Crescent City, the mortuary is filled beyond capacity and needs a refrigerated truck to hold bodies. The small hospital is so full that it is lining up helicopters to fly COVID-19 patients out of remote Del Norte County. So many employees are out with coronavirus infections that businesses have closed. Deaths in Del Norte County from COVID-19 have more than doubled in recent weeks, from 10 on Aug. 15 to 22 on Friday. Four people died in a single day, officials said. LA Times Read more
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I Was Once A Hardcore Anti-Vaxxer
Now I Try To Nudge People To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine
I open the email from a Facebook friend who recently told me they were against getting vaccinated for COVID-19, and scan it instead of reading it. It’s long and filled with rabbit-hole arguments and obscure links. Toward the end, it offensively compares vaccine cards with the yellow stars of the Holocaust. I take a breath and try to remember that perspective, that feeling of being so sure I was right and that almost all of modern science was wrong. I’m often angry at my friend and others like them who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but then I have to remind myself that I am no better than they are: For several years, I steadfastly refused all childhood vaccinations for my daughter, leaving her unprotected against a dozen or so highly contagious and potentially fatal diseases until second grade. STAT Read more
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Vaccine Refusers Don’t Get to Dictate Terms Anymore
For months, institutions and companies have been drafting plans to aggressively promote vaccination or require it outright, and last week the FDA gave them license to click the “send” button. The adults running major institutions in our society want to move forward, and they are done waiting around for vaccine refusers to change their mind. Outside of executive suites and human-resources offices, plenty of other Americans are also craving more certainty. The Atlantic Read more
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Divorce Attorneys Brace For Exes Battling Over Kids Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
With COVID-19 vaccines recently approved for children 12 and older, more divorce attorneys around the country are starting to see divorced parents disagree on vaccinating their children. “This is something we’ve been seeing increasingly over the last few months,” said Stephanie Tang, an attorney with Chicago law firm Kogut & Wilson and vice chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Family Law section council. Chicago Sun-Times Read more
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Half Of The Adolescents In The U.S. Have Received At Least One Dose Of A Coronavirus Vaccine
Half of the 12- to 17-year-olds in the United States have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, the White House’s COVID-19 response coordinator, Jeff Zients, announced on Friday, a promising development in a group that has been hit harder by the Delta variant than earlier forms of the virus. Vaccinating adolescents is particularly important now that schools are reopening said officials. NY Times
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State/National/International News |
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The U.S. Reaches A Daily Average Of 100,000 COVID Hospitalizations For The First Time Since The Winter Peak
The daily average for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the United States is now more than 100,000 over the last week. That average is higher than in any previous surge except last winter’s, before most Americans were eligible to get vaccinated. The influx of patients is straining hospitals and pushing health care workers to the brink as deaths have risen to an average of more than 1,000 a day for the first time since March. The seven-day average of COVID hospitalizations peaked in mid-January with nearly 140,000 people hospitalized. NY Times Read more
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A Hospital Is Giving Nurses Up To $40,000 In Sign-On Bonuses Amid A Dire Nursing Shortage
As states are gripped by a dire nursing shortage, some hospitals are offering sign-on bonuses of up to $40,000, better benefits, and hefty hourly rates to lure nurses through the doors. Though a nursing shortage has been looming for years, the pandemic accelerated the number of nurses quitting the workforce and retiring early, as burnout and fear of contracting COVID-19 worsened working conditions. Business Insider
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California Lawmakers Grapple With Whether To Impose A Statewide COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate
After ceding power to Gov. Gavin Newsom throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, state lawmakers are now considering one of the most politically challenging government mandates yet: requiring Californians to show proof of vaccination to enter many indoor business establishments and forcing workers to get vaccinated or regularly tested. Democratic legislators leading the conversation at the state Capitol believe mandates provide an opportunity to improve vaccination rates and help lessen the effects of the Delta variant spreading through California. LA Times Read more
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Quarantines And Teacher Shortages: A Double Whammy For California Districts
Quarantines and teacher shortages are threatening to overwhelm school districts already struggling to provide independent study for tens of thousands of students who have chosen it or could be forced into it because of COVID infections and exposure. Many districts are confused over how to educate students in quarantine - what’s required, what’s allowed and what’s funded. EdSource Read more
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First Toilet Paper, Now COVID Tests - CVS Limits Purchase
CVS Health Corp. is limiting customers’ purchases of rapid, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, with a maximum of six packages available online and four in its pharmacies, as the spread of the Delta variant spurs demand. Put in place this week, the limits apply to Abbott Laboratories's BinaxNOW along with a test from the startup Ellume, according to an email from a CVS spokesperson. Both tests are available without a prescription. Bloomberg Read more
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One year after becoming ill with the coronavirus, nearly half of patients in a large new study were still experiencing at least one lingering health symptom, adding to evidence that recovery from COVID-19 can be arduous and that the multifaceted condition known as “long COVID” can last for months. NY Times Read more
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What's The Latest Science On All The COVID Hygiene Measures Still Used In Public Spaces?
For the past year and a half, pandemic safety measures have proliferated in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Health officials still consider masking and vaccination key to curbing the pandemic, so much so that the CDC and California health officials still recommend universal indoor masking for everyone. SF Chronicle
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 526,211
California: 4,326,204
U.S.: 38,812,728
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 2,247,372
Cases: 107,492
Deaths: 1,312
Test Positivity: 3.2%
Hospitalized Patients: 248
ICU Beds Available: 92
Cases have stayed about the same recently and are still very high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has 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 spread in the area. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 6.010
California: 65,757
U.S.: 637,623
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,576,544
Cases: 87,806
Deaths: 869
Test Positivity: 5.8%
Hospitalized Patients: 222
ICU Beds Available: 44
Cases have increased recently and are very high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Contra Costa County area have also risen. The test positivity rate in Contra Costa County is high, suggesting that cases may be undercounted. NY Times
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My Partner Won’t Get Vaccinated - What Can I Do?
Elizabeth Jones didn’t tell her husband she was getting the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. “My husband does not believe the vaccine is safe since it’s not FDA-approved. He doesn’t like injections of any kind. He doesn’t do the flu shot either,” Jones told Healthline. She is worried about him because his line of work requires him to be in people’s houses all day. “He smokes as well, so he’s at higher risk. Overall, my husband is not healthy,” Jones said. “He doesn’t eat well or work out. He won’t get a vaccination, but he will drink Mountain Dew daily, and smoke, and eat greasy food and crap with dyes." Healthline 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 2,673 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 163 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 3,077 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 272 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 8/29/21
Oakland: 34,264
Hayward: 15,874
Fremont: 9,442
Eden MAC: 6,892
San Leandro: 6,714
Livermore: 5,545
Union City: 4,678
Berkeley: 4,501
Castro Valley: 3,255
Newark: 3,168
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 8/29/21
Richmond: 13,805
Antioch: 12,814
Concord: 9,970
Pittsburg: 8,529
San Pablo: 6,047
Brentwood: 5,371
Oakley: 4,420
Walnut Creek: 3,729
Bay Point: 3,432
San Ramon: 2,742
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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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