COVID-19
breaking news & updates
|
|
|
COVID Test Resources
Food Pantries
|
|
|
UCSF’s Wachter Likens Unmasking To Reckless Driving
Bob Wachter, UCSF’s chair of medicine, says he plans to continue masking, likening people who are in a rush to return to normal and remove their face coverings while in public to reckless drivers. Though COVID-19 trends continue to improve around the Bay Area, the coronavirus community transmission level across the region remains “high,” according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Growing peer pressure to go maskless in indoor spaces,” Wachter tweeted on Friday. “I deal with it by likening it to driving on a speed-trap stretch of road & having a car zoom up behind me. While speeding is that driver’s prerogative (& risk), I know my best move is to let them pass, not speeding up myself.” SF Chronicle Read more
|
|
|
Contra Costa Rescinds Vaccine Mandate For First Responders, Other Medical Personnel
Contra Costa County rescinded its order last week requiring first responders and other emergency personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or test regularly for the virus. The county first issued the health order Aug. 13, 2021, amid a surge in cases tied to the then-novel Delta variant. Contra Costa Health Services removed the requirement August 23, effective immediately. In rescinding the order, county health officer Dr. Ori Tzvieli argued that it was issued at a different time in the pandemic and mutations of the virus are now the dominant strains both countywide and across the Bay Area. KRON4
|
|
|
Eden Health District Announces Grants Program
Community non-profit agencies serving residents of the Eden area (Hayward, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Fairview, and Hayward Acres) are encouraged to apply for community grants up to $25,000. Key priorities for funding include mental health, housing and homelessness, and food and nutrition. Here is the link to apply: https://ethd.org/grants/application-forms/. Grant applications are due September 30 at noon. Grant awards will be made in December of 2022. Services funded by community grants should start in January of 2023. |
|
|
COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
|
Omicron COVID-19 Booster Shots Are Coming: Will They Be A Game-Changer?
The next generation of COVID-19 booster shots — tailored specifically to combat the super-infectious family of Omicron subvariants — could roll out early next month. The long-in-the-works offering would mark an ambitious new phase in the nation’s vaccination campaign and, officials say, give residents another option to protect themselves ahead of a possible coronavirus resurgence in the fall and winter. But who will be able to roll up their sleeves this time? And do those who have already received a booster, or two, really need to get another one? LA Times Read more
|
|
|
The Most Common Questions About The Updated COVID Vaccine, Answered
A new and improved coronavirus vaccine is likely coming to your local pharmacy this fall. The shots have been tweaked to target the latest subvariants of Omicron that triggered the latest waves of infection, and preliminary data from Pfizer and Moderna suggests the new shots provide much stronger protection against infection than the current vaccines. The updated shot is a bivalent shot, meaning unlike the original COVID-19 vaccines that only targeted the strain that started circulating in 2020, the new shots contain two components: a piece that will go after the Omicron subvariants (including BA.5 and BA.5) and a second piece that will target the original strain. HuffPost Read more
|
|
|
Moderna Sues Pfizer And BioNTech Over COVID Vaccine
The vaccine manufacturer Moderna sued Pfizer and BioNTech on Friday, claiming that its rivals’ COVID-19 shot violates its patents protecting its groundbreaking technology.
Moderna said in a statement that Pfizer and BioNTech infringed on patents filed between 2010 and 2016 that covered its mRNA technology. Moderna, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., sued in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts and the Regional Court of Düsseldorf in Germany, where BioNTech is based. NY Times Read more
|
|
|
Fewer Than 15,000 Novavax Shots Have Been Given In U.S.
The U.S. has administered 14,559 of its 626,900 available doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine since the shots were cleared for use in mid-July, according to data published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that use an mRNA-based approach to developing immunity, the Novavax vaccine uses traditional protein-based technology, which federal health officials hoped would make it more palatable to some vaccine holdouts.
|
|
|
America’s Fall Booster Plan Has A Fatal Paradox
America’s first-ever reformulated COVID-19 vaccines are coming, very ahead of schedule, and in some ways, the timing couldn’t be better. Pfizer'sversion of the shot, which combines the original recipe with ingredients targeting the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, may be available to people 12 and older as early as the week after Labor Day; Moderna's adult-only brew seems to be on a similar track. The schedule slates the shots to debut at a time when BA.5 is still the country's dominant coronavirus morph — and it means that, after more than a year of scrambling to catch up to SARS-CoV-2’s evolutionary capers, we might finally be getting inoculations that are well matched to the season's circulating strains. In other ways, the timing couldn’t be worse. Emergency pandemic funds have been drying up, imperiling already dwindling supplies of vaccines; with each passing week, more Americans are greeting the coronavirus with little more than a shrug. The Atlantic Read more
|
|
|
State/National/International News |
|
Federal Government To Halt Free COVID-19 At-Home Tests By Early September
The federal government is set to suspend its offer of free at-home COVID-19 tests by Friday, Sept. 2, without congressional authorization for an extension. The U.S. Postal Service’s page for ordering the tests states that orders will pause by next Friday “or sooner if supplies run out.” “Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2 because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests,” a message on the federal government’s COVID-19 website reads. The Hill Read more
|
|
|
Does A Faint Line On A Self-Test Mean I'm Barely Contagious?
Ah, the start of a new school year. Maybe you're one of millions of Americans who have started mingling with peers in the dorms and suddenly find yourself sniffling and wondering if you have COVID-19. Or you're just getting back from your summer vacation and the back of your throat has a worrisome itch. You consider taking an at-home rapid test, but you have lots of questions. With new FDA recommendations on testing, how many times should you test for a definitive result? And, how infectious are you if the positive line is faint? And what if the test turns positive — but only after an hour? KQED Read more
|
|
|
Unraveling The Interplay Of Omicron, Reinfections, And Long COVID
The latest COVID-19 surge, caused by a shifting mix of quickly evolving Omicron subvariants, appears to be waning, with cases and hospitalizations beginning to fall. Like past covid waves, this one will leave a lingering imprint in the form of long COVID, an ill-defined catchall term for a set of symptoms that can include debilitating fatigue, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and brain fog. Although Omicron infections are proving milder overall than those caused by last summer’s Delta variant, Omicron has also proved capable of triggering long-term symptoms and organ damage. But whether Omicron causes long COVID symptoms as often — and as severe — as previous variants is a matter of heated study. Kaiser Health News Read more
|
|
|
Google Employees Frustrated After Office COVID Outbreaks, Some Call To Modify Vaccine Policy
Google employees are receiving regular notifications from management of COVID-19 infections, causing some to question the company’s return-to-office mandates. The employees, who spoke with CNBC on the condition of anonymity, said since they have been asked to return to offices, infections notifications pop up in their email inboxes regularly. Employees are reacting with frustration and memes. The company began requiring most employees to return to physical offices at least three days a week in April. Since then, staffers have pushed back on the mandate after they worked efficiently for so long at home while the company enjoyed some of its fastest revenue growth in 15 years. Google has offered full-time employees the option to request permanent remote work, but it’s unclear how many workers have been approved. CNBC Read more
|
|
|
Up To 4 Million People May Be Out Of Work Due To Long COVID, New Research Suggests
Up to 4 million people may be out of work because of long Covid in the U.S, according to a report published this week by the Brookings Institution. In lost wages, that could add up to at least $170 billion per year, the report suggests. The research looked at people who worked full time, or the equivalent of full-time hours, before they got long Covid: an estimated 12 million people in the U.S., according to federal data. NBC News
|
|
|
They Were Grieving The Loss Of A Parent To COVID. Then The Bullies Came
When Jennifer Ritz Sullivan's mother, Earla, died of COVID in December 2020, pandemic protocols meant she couldn't be in the hospital with Earla as she took her last breath. She couldn't hug her sister — or be hugged in return — as the two women grieved virtually on FaceTime. So Ritz Sullivan, 38, of Goshen, Massachusetts, turned to social media as an outlet for her grief. "I got on Twitter specifically to rage about the death of my mom," she said. "I needed it. It became a room to scream into." But she wasn't screaming into a void. When Ritz Sullivan publicly shared details of her mother's COVID death, online trolls pounced. NBC News Read more
|
|
"I Was So Desperate That I Didn’t Care If It Killed Me": Long COVID Sufferers Turn To Expensive, Unproven Treatments
After feeling deep, aching pain in her right lung for two years following COVID-19, Lily Godsoe of Half Moon Bay is grateful to the woman who made the anguish go away. Her savior wasn’t the doctor who peered at her X-rays and prescribed inhalers that didn’t help. It was the Costco vendor who sold her an elixir of turmeric, extra-strength, on sale for $20. Godsoe never got her name. But in April the vendor prescribed three daily teaspoons of the orange liquid — always chilled. In a week, Godsoe was a believer. Godsoe didn’t know that the Food & Drug Administration had its eye on the turmeric maker. SF Chronicle Read more
|
|
|
Monkeypox Cases Drop 21%, Reversing Month-Long Increase
The number of monkeypox cases reported globally dropped 21% in the last week, reversing a month-long trend of rising infections and signaling that Europe’s outbreak may be starting to decline, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The U.N. health agency reported 5,907 new weekly cases and said two countries, Iran and Indonesia, reported their first cases. To date, more than 45,000 monkeypox cases have been reported in 98 countries since late April. The Americas accounted for 60% of cases in the past month, WHO said, while cases in Europe comprised about 38%. It said infections in the Americas showed “a continuing steep rise.” AP Read more
|
|
|
MPX? Mpox? The Struggle To Replace "Monkeypox" With A Name That Isn’t Racist
Some people argue that the name is racist and disparages an entire continent. Others view it as offensive to gay men. And then there are those who fear it could lead to indiscriminate killing of monkeys, as happened in Brazil. All that menace from one word: monkeypox. As the threat from the disease spreads, experts around the world have pledged to change its name to something that doesn’t carry the weight of stigma. No less an authority than the World Health Organization is holding an open forum to elicit suggestions for a new moniker. LA Times Read more
|
|
|
Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,727,965
California: 11,057,328
U.S.: 94,199,489
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 82.9%
Total Cases: 340,879
Total Deaths: 1,985
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 8.0%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 8/29): 107
ICU Beds Available (as of 8/29): 69
|
|
Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 9,057
California: 94,812
U.S.: 1,043,864
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 83.2%
Total Cases: 265,476
Total Deaths: 1,405
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 9.6%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 8/29): 55
ICU Beds Available (as of 8/29): 30
|
|
|
Which Current COVID Symptoms Last The Longest? Here's What Experts Say
For those who contract COVID amid the wave of BA.5 Omicron subvariant cases, how long do symptoms last and which might take longer to resolve? For those who do experience COVID symptoms, certain conditions may last longer than others. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said last week that a cough will likely be the symptom that lingers longest, while a fever will be among the first symptoms to fade. NBC Chicago Read more
|
|
|
- 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.
|
|
-
A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
-
An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.
|
|
|
Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 8/29/2022
Oakland: 96,953
Hayward: 41,778
Fremont: 37,413
San Leandro: 20,719
Berkeley: 19,693
Eden MAC: 18,343
Livermore: 16,331
Union City: 14,904
Alameda: 12,550
Castro Valley: 12,107
|
|
Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 8/29/2022
Richmond: 36,771
Antioch: 33,651
Concord: 27,764
Pittsburg: 20,877
Brentwood: 17,447
San Pablo: 15,463
Walnut Creek: 14,277
San Ramon: 13,755
Oakley: 12,913
Martinez: 9,580
|
|
|
About Eden Health District |
|
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.
|
|
|
Follow Us on Social Media |
|
|
|
|
|
|
