COVID-19
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UCSF Children's Hospitals Prep For Potential Surge As Flu, COVID-19, RSV Rises
As we head into the holidays under the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and RSV, Bay Area children's hospitals are preparing for a potential surge in sick kids. Hospitals are already making contingency plans, in case they run out of space in their ERs. In a scene reminiscent of the early days of the pandemic, hospitals are turning to tents with emergency beds, in case they run out of space indoors. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco has added a tent. The Mission Bay campus has 17 emergency room beds, this tent adds another seven. CBS News Read more
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SF Playhouse Postpones "As You Like It" Performances Amid COVID Outbreak In Cast
The San Francisco Playhouse has paused performances of William Shakespeare's "As You Like It" through Dec. 2 due to an outbreak of COVID-19 among the play's cast. The theater plans to contact people who had tickets to any of the affected dates and allow them to exchange their tickets for a different date or receive a refund. Performances are set to resume Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. "We made this made the difficult decision to pause performances to ensure our artists have the space and time to fully recover," Playhouse co-founder and producing director Susi Damilano said. "We will continue our rigorous COVID testing efforts and prepare to present the best possible version of this show to our audiences." NBC Bay Area Read more
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Bid To End Alameda County COVID Eviction Ban Stumbles
A fight against an eviction ban in the San Francisco Bay Area county of Alameda has stumbled, after a federal judge denied landlords' request for summary judgment. U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler denied motions for summary judgment in two lawsuits brought by landlords against Alameda County and its Board of Supervisors, finding ordinances prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic are temporary and therefore do not violate the U.S. Constitution.
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
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White House Launches Year-End Push To Improve Lagging COVID Vaccinations
The White House on Tuesday launched a six week sprint aimed at convincing Americans to get their updated COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the year. The administration said the focus of the campaign will be on seniors and vulnerable communities hardest hit by the virus. Public health officials have repeatedly warned that the U.S. will likely face another wave of COVID-19 infections as the weather gets colder and people travel and gather for the holidays. White House officials had previously called for the public to get booster shots in time for Halloween. The government has purchased 171 million doses of the updated vaccine. But well into November, uptake of the new booster shots has been extremely low, frustrating health experts and officials. The Hill Read more
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HHS Announces $350 Million Initiative To Increase COVID Vaccine Supply
According to a Nov. 22 press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced a $350 million initiative for HRSA-supported health centers to increase COVID-19 vaccines in their communities, with a focus on underserved populations. The funding is intended to support health centers administering updated COVID-19 vaccines through mobile, drive-up, walk-up, or community-based events. Healthcare Innovation Read more
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Omicron Boosters Probably Aren’t Very Effective Against Mild COVID Illness, But Will Likely Prevent Hospitalizations, Experts Say
The new Omicron COVID boosters probably aren’t very effective at preventing COVID infections and mild illness, but they will likely help keep the elderly and other vulnerable groups out of the hospital this winter, experts say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a real-world study published this week, found the boosters are less than 50% effective against mild illness across almost all adult age groups when compared to people who are unvaccinated. For seniors, the booster was 19% effective at preventing mild illness when administered as their fourth dose, compared to the unvaccinated. It was 23% effective against mild illness when given as their fifth dose. CNBC Read more
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State/National/International News |
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Just 1 In 20 People In The U.S. Have Dodged COVID Infection So Far, Study Says
An estimated 94% of people in the U.S. have been infected with the COVID-19 virus at least once, according to according to a new paper from researchers at Harvard’s School of Public Health. The big reason for the surprising surge? The Omicron variant’s record-shattering case rates early this year and middling booster rates that fell short of what experts had hoped to see. While that’s far from good news, there is a silver lining: As of early November, the percentage of people with some protection from new infections and severe disease is “substantially higher than in December 2021,” according to the authors. East Bay Times Read more
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CDPH's Dr. Erica Pan Provides Guidance For Parents About Winter Viruses
As Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the flu and COVID-19 continue to impact Californians earlier than usual this year, state Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan urges everyone across the state to protect themselves and their families against many circulating viruses. "As we prepare for holiday gatherings, we need to continue being vigilant in preventing the rapid spread of winter viruses," she said. "As a pediatrician who specializes in infections, and a parent, it is concerning to see the rise in RSV and flu in babies, young children and our elderly population. It is crucial we are aware of prevention methods, but also, how to care for our loved ones at home, and what symptoms to be aware of for parents to seek care for their children." CDPH
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NIH Launches Website For Reporting At-Home COVID Test Results
The National Institutes of Health has launched a website MakeMyTestCount.org which allows people to anonymously report the results of any brand of at-home COVID-19 test. The website is a collaboration between the NIH and a healthcare technology company, CareEvolution. "I think it's just incredibly important to celebrate HHS for this great technical advance, and the modernization of data systems in public health in the US," Blythe Adamson, Ph. D., CEO and Founder of Infectious Economics and former member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said. ABC News Read more
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Only The State — Not Individual School Districts — Can Mandate Vaccines, Appeals Court Rules
Children should be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to U.S. health experts, but California lawmakers have been unable to mandate vaccines in the state’s schools. Several school districts have tried to bypass the state and order vaccinations on their own, but an appeals court says the districts have no authority to do so. “The Legislature has mandated that public health officials—not school authorities—determine the disease(s) for which vaccinations are required,” the state’s Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Diego said Tuesday, rejecting the San Diego Unified School District’s attempt to require vaccinations for students 16 and older. SF Chronicle Read more
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Protests Against COVID Controls Erupt Across China
Rare protests broke out across China over the weekend as groups of people vented their frustration over the zero-Covid policy. The unrest came as infections surged, prompting more local Covid controls, while a central government policy change earlier this month had raised hopes of a gradual easing. Nearly three years of controls have dragged down the economy. Youth unemployment has neared 20%. CNBC Read more
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COVID, Monkeypox, Now Las Vegas Strip Faces a "Superbug"
Las Vegas has more exposure to illness than nearly any place in the world because it hosts an ever-revolving cast of tourists from around the world. It then takes those visitors and puts them into crowded areas with recirculated air. It's a sort of perfect recipe for diseases to spread quickly. Now, Las Vegas has seen an increase in the "once-rare “superbug” Candida auris," the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
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COVID-19 Is Robbing Latino Community Of A Secret Weapon Behind Their Success: Grandparents
COVID-19’s relentless death toll is robbing the Latino community of what has long been viewed as a secret weapon behind its impressive growth and rising prosperity: grandparents. Multigenerational households have played an especially important role in helping Latinos as they’ve grown into California’s largest ethnic group and the second-largest in the nation. Elder Latinos, who are more likely than average to remain in the workforce past retirement age, often provide an additional income to the shared household. But Latinos age 55 and older have died from COVID-19 at a disproportionately higher rate than white people, Blacks and Asians, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.LA Times Read more
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Desperate COVID Long-Haulers Turn To Costly, Unproven Treatments
For the burgeoning population of COVID long-haulers, there is an abundance of new treatment options: Specially formulated nutraceuticals imported from India that promise to “get you life back from covid.” Pure oxygen delivered in a pressurized chamber. And, if time and money are no obstacle, a process known as “blood washing” that’s available in Cyprus, or $25,000 stem cell treatments in the Cayman Islands. Months-long waits at long-COVID clinics combined with the sluggish pace of research have left vulnerable patients clamoring for immediate care as manufacturers bring novel remedies to market, often with little data behind them. Washington Post Read more
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Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) |
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As RSV Cases Surge, Experts Warn of America’s Worsening "Tripledemic"
Respiratory illnesses are sweeping the nation, overwhelming hospitals, causing kids to miss school, and keeping adults home from work. The culprit? COVID. And respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). And the flu. “We’re facing an onslaught of three viruses—COVID, RSV and influenza. All simultaneously,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University, recently told NPR. “We’re calling this a tripledemic.”
Young children are especially vulnerable to RSV, which is a respiratory virus that affects the nose, throat, and lungs. Like coronavirus, it spreads through respiratory droplets. The most common symptoms are congestion, coughing, decreased appetite, fever, sneezing, and wheezing. Mother Jones Read more
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Children's Medicine Shortage Amid Rising RSV Cases
Viruses are spreading, children are coughing almost everywhere and parents are frustrated. “One kid gets sick and then, the next kid gets sick. And then, the first kid that got sick gets sick again and then, you call them out of school and then truancy,” said San Jose resident Rebecca Gallegos. To top it off, clinics said that appointments are booked, hospitals are full, and medicine shelves are empty. “Target doesn't have it, go to CVS, don't have it. So, basically were searching. Last resort is Amazon, but then, you got to wait a week sometimes,” said San Jose resident Glenn Valle. NBC Bay Area Read more
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Poor Countries Are Developing A New Paradigm Of Mental Health Care. America Is Taking Note
When you look at the numbers, it’s easy to gape in horror. In Ghana, a nation of 32 million people, there are only 62 psychiatrists. Zimbabwe, with a population of 15 million, has only 19 psychiatrists. And in Uganda, there are 47 psychiatrists serving a country of 48 million — less than one single psychiatrist for every million people. These are staggering ratios. To get your head around them, take the U.S. as a comparison. There are around 45,000 psychiatrists for all 333 million Americans, which translates to about 135 psychiatrists for every million people. That’s still not enough — experts are actually warning of an escalating shortage— and yet it’s a whopping 135 times more coverage than exists in Uganda. Vox Read more
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America’s Universities Are Failing Students Facing Mental Health Crises
This Thanksgiving, college students across the nation are taking a temporary break from classes to celebrate at home with family and friends. Yet for students struggling with thoughts of suicide and other serious mental health issues, some may be told not to return to campus. Colleges across America have largely dropped their COVID-19 restrictions, yet the pressures facing students today remain extraordinarily high. The American Psychological Association has labeled it a “crisis,” and estimates that over 60 percent of college students are currently dealing with one or more mental health problems. The Hill Read more
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Knocking Down Mental Health Taboos In Sports
Warriors guard Klay Thompson is part of a new breed: star athletes who have opened up about their mental health struggles. The COVID-19 pandemic has created new mental health challenges for both athletes and fans, and spotlighted the opportunity to discuss them in a new way. In a recent episode of the Fifth & Mission podcast, Chronicle sportswriters Marisa Ingemi and Connor Letourneau join host Cecilia Lei to talk about the changing attitudes — from the NBA to youth sports, crowd behavior to injury treatment — and why that matters for everyone. SF Chronicle Listen to podcast
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,808,461
California: 11,492,488
U.S.: 98,571,513
Alameda County
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the Latest Figures
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 9,398
California: 97,437
U.S.: 1,079,210
Contra Costa County
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the Latest Figures
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Stop Touching Your Face! It Could Help You Stay Healthy This
Holiday Season
Looking for an easy way to reduce your risk of catching the flu or other viral illnesses? Try not touching your face. That’s a step doctors are urging people to take as California faces a “tripledemic” threat — with flu, the coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, circulating at elevated levels statewide all at once. “The one point I want to reemphasize is … avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth,” Dr. Ralph Gonzales, a U.C. San Francisco associate dean, said at a recent campus town hall. “Very good studies have shown that if we can double down our efforts to be vigilant about this, that will increase our chances of staying flu free.” LA Times 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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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 Ed Hernandez. 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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