COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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CDC Releases New Quarantine And Isolation Calculator
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COVID Test Resources
Food Pantries
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Buy Back Vape Event Set For Saturday in San Leandro
A pilot a program to "Buy Back Vape" devices from youth to help combat the vaping epidemic occurring in local schools and communities is taking place Saturday, April 2, beginning at 9 a.m., at the Barbara Lee Center, located at 2251 Bancroft Ave. in San Leandro. Organizers plan to exchange the vape devices for gift cards and tickets to sporting events. The event is sponsored by Leo Sheridan, SLUSD Board of Education Trustee, Area 4, SLED, SLPD, AEOC, Eden Health District, and the Oakland A's.
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How To Get Your Second COVID Booster Shot In The Bay Area If You Are Eligible
After another round of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for some groups got the green light Tuesday from federal regulators, newly eligible people may be seeking their next dose in the Bay Area. Each Bay Area county hosts its own county-run clinics and vaccination events, and there is a list of vaccine websites for each county. SF Chronicle Read more
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Where COVID Cases Stand In Bay Area Schools 2 Weeks After Mask Mandates Lifted
Two weeks after California lifted its school mask mandate, COVID-19 case rates largely continued declining across California and in classrooms, leading education and health officials to pull out their cautiously optimistic cliches. So far, so good. No red flags. Fingers crossed. The early numbers bolster the arguments of parents and health experts who supported an end to mask requirements in schools. The vast majority of Bay Area districts and private schools followed the state’s lead, letting students and staff remove the face coverings starting March 12, if they wanted. SF Chronicle Read more
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Sharks, Warriors Set To Drop Vaccine, Testing Requirements For Fans
Responding to updated health guidelines from the state, Sharks Sports & Entertainment announced Monday that starting this weekend, fans attending hockey games at SAP Center will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for entry. The change is in line with the Chase Center’s modification announced last week. California’s Department of Public Health on March 17 stated that instead of requiring proof of full vaccination or evidence of recent negative COVID-19 test for entry into indoor mega-events, it would move to a “strong recommendation” to the public to use those measures for limiting the spread of the virus. East Bay Times Read more
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Marin Nonprofits Seek Equitable Pandemic Recovery
With societal inequities coming into sharper focus during the pandemic, vulnerable residents in Marin should be at the center of a countywide COVID-19 recovery strategy, a new report says. The report, titled “Equitable Pandemic Recovery Strategies for Marin County,” calls on officials, nonprofits and others to unite in supporting a framework that puts Marin’s very low-income residents, immigrants and communities of color first.
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Highland Hospital To Be Renamed In Honor Of Late Supervisor Wilma Chan
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted a resolution to rename Oakland's Highland Hospital after the late Supervisor Wilma Chan. The hospital will take on the name of "Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus." James Jackson, CEO of the Alameda Health System, said, "Supervisor Chan championed many of the most important health and safety-net programs in Alameda County including being instrumental in ensuring access to care throughout the Alameda Health System." KTVU Read more
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FDA Authorizes Second Booster For 50+ As "Stealth” Omicron Subvariant Dominates U.S.
Get ready for COVID boosters, the sequel. On Tuesday, the FDA and CDC both blessed a second booster of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for all people ages 50 or older four months after their last shot. The swift action from federal health officials coincided with reports that the highly contagious “stealth” Omicron subvariant known as BA.2 — blamed for sharp increases in COVID-19 cases in Europe and Asia — now accounts for more than half of U.S. COVID cases. In the Bay Area, healthcare providers and pharmacies said they would move forward with scheduling the next round of booster shots once the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention reacted to the Food and Drug Administration’s authorization early Tuesday. Within hours, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky issued the all-clear, clearing the way for providers to begin giving second boosters this week. East Bay Times Read more
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Should I Get A Second COVID Booster Vaccine?
On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized a second booster shot for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, citing dwindling immunity in older Americans as a new omicron variant gains a firm foothold in the nation. So should you rush out and get that new booster? And is that even a possibility yet? Mercury News Read more
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Top FDA Official Says Fully Vaccinated Americans May Need More COVID Shots This Fall
People in the U.S. might need another COVID booster shot this fall as public health experts expect immunity from the vaccines to wane and transmission of the virus to increase during colder months, the Food and Drug Administration's top vaccine official said Tuesday. Dr. Peter Marks, head of the FDA office responsible for vaccine safety, indicated the U.S. might need to offer fourth shots for people under 50-years-old in the fall. People who are now eligible for fourth shots would likely get a fifth shot if there's evidence that would be beneficial, Marks told reporters on a conference call. Marks also said the U.S. could switch to a different vaccine that targets a specific Covid variant or a mix of several. NBC Bay Area Read more
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Moderna Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Performs As Well In Children As It Does In Adults
Moderna announced interim results of its COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than 6 on Wednesday. The company said two 25-microgram doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months through 5 years old provided a similar immune response to two 100-microgram doses for adults ages 18 to 25, indicating that the benefit conferred to young adults is also conferred to young children. The two doses of vaccine are given to children 28 days apart. CNN Read more
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CDC: If You Got J&J’s Vaccine And Booster, Consider An mRNA Shot Now
The nearly 17 million Americans who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine are less protected against serious illness and hospitalizations than those who got the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots, according to federal data released Tuesday. The latest data suggest Johnson & Johnson recipients should get a booster with one of the messenger RNA vaccines, if they haven’t already done so — and even consider a second messenger RNA booster for the greatest protection. The data come from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that analyzed the results of mix-and-match vaccine-and-booster combinations during a four-month period when the highly transmissible Omicron variant was dominant. Washington Post Read more
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Biden Administration Will Start Vaccinating Migrants At Border
The Biden administration is requiring coronavirus vaccines for some undocumented migrants at the southwest border, a policy change that comes days before the administration’s next review of a public health order that has limited immigration during the pandemic. Under the plan, officials will start vaccinating undocumented migrants without proof of vaccination who are apprehended by border officials, but not expelled under the public health order, in seven areas including San Diego, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley. NY Times Read more
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Senate Scrambles To Reach Funding Deal For COVID Vaccines, Testing And Treatment
The Senate is scrambling to reach an agreement on a $15 billion COVID-19 aid bill before members leave for a two-week break at the end of next week. Democrats say the U.S. is running out of funding for vaccines, testing and treatment for COVID-19, and the Biden administration has warned that the lack of pandemic money comes at a critical moment in the pandemic. The party is pushing for a quick deal, saying that any gap in funding would put the country at risk of being unprepared for new surges of COVID-19. NBC News
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State/National/International News |
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Infectious Omicron BA.2 Now Dominant In U.S., With Coronavirus Spring Rise Likely
The highly infectious BA.2 Omicron subvariant is now the dominant version of the coronavirus circulating in the United States, according to federal estimates, a development that is triggering fresh concerns of a potential springtime wave. How big that potential upswing might prove to be remains the subject of much debate. Some experts believe California is well-armored against another significant surge — largely because the vast majority of residents have either been vaccinated or likely have some natural immunity left over from a recent infection. But BA.2 has fueled substantial increases in other countries, demonstrating how readily the super-contagious subvariant can still spread. LA Times Read more
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Americans Are Taking Fewer Precautions Two Years Into The Pandemic, Poll Says
As the United States entered its third year of the pandemic, fewer Americans are reporting that they have been wearing masks in recent months, according to a poll released on Tuesday by The Associated Press and NORC. About 44 percent of Americans reported this month that they usually wore a mask outside their home, down from about two-thirds during the peak of the Omicron wave in January, according to the poll, which surveyed 1,082 U.S. adults from March 17 to March 21. NY Times
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BA.2 Symptoms Doctors Are Seeing The Most Right Now
The highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2 is now the dominant coronavirus strain around the world. Health officials have known about it since November, but they’re still learning about how it acts and how sick people infected with it are likely to get. With that in mind, here’s what the newest subvariant means for you and your family, as well as the signs you should keep an eye out for now. HuffPost Read more
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Contact Tracing May Have Averted 1.4 Million U.S. COVID Cases In Two Months
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) modeling study used data from 59 U.S. case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) programs to estimate that the programs prevented 1.11 to 1.36 million COVID-19 cases, and 27,000 to 34,000 hospitalizations over 60 days in winter 2020-21, well before the Delta and Omicron variant surges. The researchers collected data from Nov 25, 2020, to Jan 23, 2021, for analysis from July to September 2021. The 22 states and 1 territory studied covered 42.5% of the U.S. population, spanned all four U.S. Census regions, and reported data that reflected all 59 federally funded CICT programs. CIDRAP Read more
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21 States Sue The Biden Administration To End The Federal Travel Mask Mandate
Governors from 21 states are suing to end the federal public transportation mask mandate, claiming the continued enforcement "harms the states" and interferes with some local laws. The filing comes just days after airline CEOs called on President Biden to drop the mandate. NPR Read more
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For Red And Blue America, A Glaring Divide In COVID-19 Death Rates Persists 2 Years Later
Political polarization in the U.S. was evident and intensifying long before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two years ago. Americans were already deeply divided about a multitude of issues, with differing opinions concerning healthcare, immigration, voting rights, gun reform and climate change, often leaving little room for collaboration across the aisle. Polling shows that the emergence of the novel coronavirus in 2020 exacerbated the rift, pushing Americans further apart on key pandemic response efforts. ABC News Read more
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COVID-19 Pandemic Isn’t Over For Black Americans, Report Warns
A searing report released Tuesday by the Black Coalition Against COVID details the immense toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken — and continues to take — on Black communities, and calls for continued vigilance and action to prevent further losses even as the rest of the nation is eager to move on. The report’s authors — physicians and public health and policy experts — note with alarm that even as case rates began to fall sharply across the country earlier this year, the Covid-19 hospitalization rate for Black people was higher than it had been at any time during the pandemic for any racial or ethnic group. STAT Read more
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Back-to-Office Pressure Is Creating A Crisis For Long COVID Patients
Chimére Smith used to love her job as an English teacher in the Baltimore public school system. But she hasn’t taught since March 2020, when she caught COVID-19 and then developed Long COVID. Two years later, she still experiences symptoms including fatigue, migraines, blurry vision, chronic pain, and dizziness. Smith says she and her school district haven’t agreed upon accommodations that would allow her to return to the classroom, so she currently receives disability benefits—but they will expire in about six months, leaving her to rely on Social Security or potentially forcing her back into the workforce. Time
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,290,216
California: 9,098,549
U.S.: 80,039,132
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 85.2%
Total Cases: 257,485
Total Deaths: 1,826
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 2.0%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 3/30): 44
ICU Beds Available (as of 3/30): 102
As of March 30, cases have decreased recently but are still high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have also fallen. 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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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 8,233
California: 88,828
U.S.: 979,188
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 85.7%
Total Cases: 190,239
Total Deaths: 1,289
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 2.5%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 3/30): 28
ICU Beds Available (as of 3/30): 49
As of March 30, cases have decreased recently but are still high.The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also fallen 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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Pandemic-Related Stress Can Cause Decision Fatigue: What To Know
For the past two years, the world has been in a near-constant state of being on edge. To stay safe from COVID-19, we’ve been faced with a number of complex decisions that have had repercussions not only for ourselves but for loved ones and society at large. Experts say needing to make so many decisions at once, especially under stressful circumstances, can lead to decision fatigue, a phenomenon in which the ability to make decisions deteriorates. 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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Over the past week, Alameda County has averaged 120 new cases and 1.4 new death per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 114 new cases and 2 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 3/30/2022
Oakland: 75,339
Hayward: 33,496
Fremont: 26,236
San Leandro: 15,769
Eden MAC: 14,640
Berkeley: 13,285
Livermore: 12,946
Union City: 11,341
Castro Valley: 8,843
Alameda: 8,843
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 3/30/2022
Richmond: 28,016
Antioch: 25,551
Concord: 20,542
Pittsburg: 16,535
San Pablo: 11,959
Brentwood: 11,467
Oakley: 9,577
Walnut Creek: 9,421
San Ramon: 8,161
Martinez: 6,311
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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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