COVID-19
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7 Bay Area Counties - Including Alameda - In CA's COVID Red Zone Facing High Levels Of Community Transmission
COVID cases throughout the Bay Area have been increasing for the past two weeks. The majority of the region is in the red. The only counties that are not experiencing high transmission numbers are Solano and Contra Costa County. ABC7 News Read more
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Alameda County Has Lowest COVID-19 Death Rate In Nation Among Large Counties; Contra Costa Has Second-Lowest
Contra Costa County has the second-lowest COVID-19 death rate in the United States among counties with more than a million residents, county health director Anna Roth told the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. Showing the strength of what Roth called "the benefit of regional approaches," Roth said Alameda County is No. 1. Santa Clara County is third. DanvilleSanRamon.com Read more
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Your BART Train Might Stink, But COVID Ventilation Is Strong, Experts Say
It seems that every Bay Area transit rider has a story of hopping on BART or Caltrain only to be hit by a wave of unpleasant smells. So with mask mandates on the outs, many passengers may be wondering: If BART can’t filter out the mystery scent from a few seats away, how can the system keep me safe from an unmasked passenger emitting the COVID-19 virus? There is some good news, experts say. Your BART car might smell, but the air-filtration systems that reduce COVID-19 transmission are stronger than what’s typically at work in your home, office or the restaurant where you just had lunch. East Bay Times Read more
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Applications Now Being Accepted By Alameda County For COVID-19 Recovery Grants To Local Nonprofit And Business Organizations
Alameda County announced earlier this month it will begin making federally funded cash assistance grants to local nonprofit and business organizations to spur recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the county’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, the county Board of Supervisors allocated $3.1 million per county supervisorial district for grant making to local nonprofits and businesses. Cash grants are being awarded on a rolling basis through Sept. 30, 2024, subject to eligibility and availability of funds within each supervisorial district. Alameda County Read more
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News
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Moderna Asks FDA To Authorize COVID Vaccine For Children Under 6
Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to expand the use of its COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 6 months to 5 years. The drugmaker's request will now be considered by the FDA, which is expected to make a final decision in June. The agency is expected to seek the advice of its advisory committee, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. Children under 5 are the only group in the U.S. ineligible to receive a COVID vaccine; the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is available to anyone as young as 5, while Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's shots are only available to adults. NBC News Read more
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As World Reopens, North Korea Is One Of Two Countries Without Vaccines
As mask mandates and social distancing requirements lift around the world, North Korea remains one of two countries that have not administered any coronavirus vaccines, with no sign of how it can ever begin to reopen despite a brewing humanitarian crisis for its people. The vaccines that were allocated for North Korea through a United Nations-backed global vaccination effort are no longer available, officials said this month, after Pyongyang repeatedly rejected the initiative's offers of millions of doses. North Korea, already one of the most closed societies in the world, remains in a strict pandemic lockdown and has shuttered its borders except to a minimal level of trade with China, with grave implications for the health and food security of its population.Yahoo!
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Millions Of COVID-19 Shots Set To Go To Waste, As Vaccine Rollout Slows
While top U.S. health officials are urging some Americans to get yet another coronavirus booster shot, local health departments across the country are grappling with a growing dilemma - how to address a declining demand for vaccines, while minimizing the waste of unused millions of doses currently in state stockpiles and at risk of expiring. Since the emergency use authorization of the first COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. last winter, federal data shows that states received a staggering 720 million doses, and more than 570 million of those shots have been administered. ABC News Read more
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FDA Approves Remdesivir To Treat Young Children With COVID-19
The US Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it has expanded approval of the COVID-19 drug remdesivir to treat patients as young as 28 days and weighing about 7 pounds. This is the first COVID-19 treatment approved for children younger than 12. To be eligible for treatment, the FDA said, children must be hospitalized or have mild to moderate COVID-19 and high risk for progressing to severe COVID-19, even if they are not hospitalized. CNN Read more
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How Antibiotics May Affect Vaccine Effectiveness In Young Children
A new study in the medical journal Pediatrics reports that the use of some antibiotics can negatively impact the effectiveness of vaccinations in children under the age of 2. More specifically, the study authors stated that young children who received antibiotic prescriptions more frequently or for longer durations had lower levels of antibodies associated with childhood vaccines. Healthline Read more
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Do Vaccines Protect Against Long COVID?
As the pandemic enters its third year, long COVID has emerged as an increasingly important concern. And many people are wondering whether getting a COVID shot can reduce their chances of developing long-term symptoms. The jury is still out, but a growing number of studies suggest that getting a COVID vaccine can reduce — though not eliminate — the risk of longer-term symptoms. NY Times Read more
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Unvaccinated People Increase Risk Of COVID Infection Among Vaccinated, Study Finds
Unvaccinated people threaten the safety of vaccinated people even with high levels of immunization against COVID-19, according to a new study published in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), countering a popular narrative that vaccination is purely is a matter of individual choice and supporting policies requiring the shots. Forbes Read more
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State/National/International News
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COVID Cases Up 50% In California Since March, CDC Says
Cases of COVID are climbing quickly across California, up by more than 50% since March, according to the CDC. San Francisco is spiking past the 5% test positivity rate - a rate too high, infectious diseases experts say. "Trying to just look at the best case scenario and not preparing for a worst case scenario is a problem because we can get caught off guard at that point," said Dr. Abraar Karan, an infectious disease doctor at Stanford, adding that with more transmission come more mutations and more chance of a deadly variant. ABC7 News Read more
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U.S. Nears One Million COVID-19 Deaths
Slightly more than two years after recording its first COVID-19 death, the U.S. is about to cross a once-unthinkable threshold: one million deaths attributed to the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The COVID-19 mortality count—over 990,000 and still rising—is reflected in death certificates recorded by the CDC. Of these certificates, at least 90% list COVID-19 as the underlying cause of death, the CDC said. The remainder list the disease as a contributing cause. These records show how deaths have swept through the U.S. since the pandemic began, hitting states and populations unevenly. Early hot spots included places like New York City and New Jersey. The burden later shifted southward, including in states where vaccination rates have lagged. Vaccines have shown they reduce the risk of severe illness and death.
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Vice President Kamala Harris Tests Positive For COVID, Is Not Exhibiting Symptoms
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, her office said, noting that she didn’t have any symptoms and hadn’t been in close contact with the president or first lady. Harris, 57, “will isolate and continue to work from the Vice President’s residence,” her press secretary, Kirsten Allen, said in a statement. Harris is the highest-ranking official in the White House to contract COVID. President Joe Biden has so far avoided the virus, even after coming into close proximity with numerous government officials who later tested positive. CNBC Read more
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U.S. No Longer In "Full-Blown" Pandemic Phase, Fauci Says
The United States is finally “out of the full-blown explosive pandemic phase” that has led to nearly 1 million deaths from COVID-19 and more than two years of suffering and hardship, Anthony S. Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said Wednesday. “We’re really in a transitional phase, from a deceleration of the numbers into hopefully a more controlled phase and endemicity,” Fauci said. Washington Post Read more
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CDC Report Finds 75 Percent Of Children And Teens Had COVID By February
More than half of people in the United States had antibodies for COVID-19 by the end of February, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children and teens were hit especially hard by the Omicron variant through the winter, with antibodies detected in three-quarters of the largely unvaccinated population. In the study, the CDC examined blood samples taken from all age groups, testing for specific antibodies that develop only after COVID infection. NBC News Read more
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Majority Of Family Members Of COVID Patients Treated In The ICU Report PTSD Symptoms
A majority of family members of COVID-19 patients treated in ICUs reported significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the following months, according to a study published Monday that sheds new light on the impact of hospital visitation restrictions during the pandemic. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was roughly twice the rate typically seen after a family member’s ICU stay before the pandemic, which the authors said was likely explained by the lack of access to loved ones during their ICU stay. STAT Read more
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Disneyland Drops One Of Its Last Masking Requirements
Disneyland will no longer require most visitors to wear a mask after dropping one of its last remaining mandates. Visitors to the park had been required to wear masks in enclosed transportation settings. Now, visitors who take the bus from the Toy Story Parking Area or the monorail from the Downtown Disney District can opt to unmask during the ride. LA Times
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Beijing Kicks Off Mass Testing After Spike In COVID Cases
The Chinese capital Beijing has kicked off mass testing for millions of residents after a spike in COVID cases. The Chaoyang district reported 26 cases over the weekend - the highest number so far in Beijing's latest surge. Long queues outside supermarkets and shops were seen despite government assurances there is sufficient food. It comes amid fears that Beijing could face a similar situation to Shanghai, which has seen some 25 million people shut in their homes for weeks. BBC Read more
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,321,753
California: 9,213,640
U.S.: 81,139,895
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 85.8%
Total Cases: 262,881
Total Deaths: 1,879
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 4.3%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 4/27): 48
ICU Beds Available (as of 4/27): 110
As of April 27, cases have increased recently and are very high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also risen in the Alameda County area. Deaths have decreased. 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: 8,350
California: 90,137
U.S.: 992,256
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.3%
Total Cases: 193,709
Total Deaths: 1,300
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 5.7%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 4/27): 28
ICU Beds Available (as of 4/27): 37
As of April 27, cases have increased recently and are very high.The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also risen 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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Can You Use An Expired At-Home COVID Test?
Rapid antigen COVID-19 tests have become more common in households across the country as supplies have increased. These tests are designed to give you results in less than 30 minutes from the comfort of your own home. But if you have boxes left over from winter’s Omicron surge, they may reach their expiration date this summer.
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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 305 new cases and 1.6 new death per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 197 new cases and 0.3 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 4/27/2022
Oakland: 77,077
Hayward: 33,888
Fremont: 26,930
San Leandro: 16,040
Eden MAC: 14,905
Berkeley: 14,234
Livermore: 13,182
Union City: 11,568
Alameda: 9,139
Castro Valley: 9,056
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 4/27/2022
Richmond: 28,344
Antioch: 25,794
Concord: 20,931
Pittsburg: 16,727
San Pablo: 12,088
Brentwood: 11,656
Walnut Creek: 9,795
Oakley: 9,708
San Ramon: 8,488
Martinez: 6,432
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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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