COVID-19
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Bay Area Wastewater Samples Show Big Surge Is Underway
Surveys of coronavirus levels in Bay Area wastewater suggest another COVID-19 surge is not only under way but may top last summer’s omicron BA.5 wave in the number of people infected. While official case counts show a sharp rise, they do not capture the true scale of the virus in the community because a majority of people use home tests, the results of which are not reported to county or state public health authorities. State data on viral counts in wastewater collected from the Oceanside sewer shed in San Francisco shows virus gene copies per gram of waste solids rising sharply — already reaching the same level they hit in July, near the peak of the summer surge. Samples from the Alameda and Central Contra Costa county sewer sheds show similar spikes, with a near-vertical rise on the graph between Nov. 1 and Dec. 1.
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Bay Area Naturopath Who Sold Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Cards Gets Nearly 3 years
A naturopathic doctor who sold fake COVID-19 immunization treatments and fraudulent vaccination cards during the height of the coronavirus pandemic was sentenced in California on Tuesday to nearly three years in prison, federal prosecutors said. Juli A. Mazi pleaded guilty last April in federal court in San Francisco to one count of wire fraud and one count of false statements related to health care matters. During Tuesday’s hearing, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer handed down a sentence of 33 months, according to Joshua Stueve, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice.
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San Jose Church Won’t Have To Pay $217,500 In COVID Fines After CA Supreme Court Denies Petition
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San Francisco’s Zuni Café Announces Brief Closure Due To COVID Cases Among Staff
Zuni Café announced last Wednesday that it would close for a week following several staffers becoming ill with COVID-19. A message posted to its storefront and business website shared that the restaurant would be closed beginning Nov. 30 and reopen on Dec. 7 due to “an upsurge of COVID cases within our team members.” “We have decided to take preventive measures to prioritize the health and safety of our team, guests, and community,” Zuni wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.” SFGate Read more
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
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As COVID-19 Spikes In California, Booster Shots Could Make All The Difference
With coronavirus cases and hospitalizations rising in Los Angeles County, officials are voicing new confidence in the effectiveness of the updated COVID-19 booster shot. New data has found that the updated COVID-19 vaccines offer “significant additional protection” against symptomatic infection in people who were previously vaccinated or boosted with the older formula. While the efficacy of the shots varied depending on a person’s vaccine history, data published in a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found consistently boosted defense across all adult age groups. LA Times Read more
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Around 85% Of Recent COVID Deaths Were Among People Over 65. Why Have So Few Gotten Boosted?
Around 85% of COVID deaths in the last four weeks were among people ages 65 and up, according to an NBC News analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But just 31% of that group has gotten updated booster shots. That's the highest rate of any age group, but it pales in comparison to the 94% of the same population who got the primary series. Disease experts say the initial shots are no longer enough, given new variants and waning vaccine protection. Six in 10 adults who died of COVID in August had gotten at least the first two vaccine doses, according to a report published Wednesday by KFF, a nonprofit health think tank. NBC News Read more
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COVID Evolution Wipes Out Another Antibody Treatment, Threatening The Country’s Medicine Cabinet
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday ended its emergency authorization for the only remaining COVID-19 antibody therapy cleared for use, saying variants that render it ineffective are now dominant in the United States. The news about bebtelovimab makes official what has been anticipated for several weeks, as the Omicron sublineages BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 have been growing in prevalence. Still, it comes as a blow to both providers and patients who are at risk for more severe outcomes. The rapid evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus had already knocked out several other monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of COVID. STAT Read more
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HHS Partners With U.S. Men's Soccer Team To Promote Updated COVID Vaccines
The Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the U.S. national men's soccer team to promote vaccinations with the updated COVID-19 shot, which are currently at a low. USMNT defender Walker Zimmerman will encourage Americans to get an updated booster to protect them from "COVID's worst possible outcome," according to a promotional video first shared with Axios that was tol be posted on the USMNT's social media last Friday. Axios Read more
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State/National/International News |
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42% Of U.S. Adults Infected But Nearly Half Didn’t Know It
About 42% of people in the U.S. have antibodies indicating previous coronavirus infection, according to a study published Friday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (That’s much lower than the total number showing signs of either vaccination or infection.) But of these individuals, 44% said they had never experienced COVID-19, suggesting the prevalence of asymptomatic infection in the population. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed serologic testing data from a sample of 1,574 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from August 2021 to May 2022. SF Chronicle Read more
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Last week, it became clear that under new CEO Elon Musk, Twitter had stopped enforcing a policy against spreading disinformation related to COVID-19 and vaccinations. They didn’t make a big announcement about this. It wasn’t until people began wondering why so much outright anti-vax nonsense was suddenly floating around, that it was discovered that Twitter had stopped trying to block such propaganda back in mid-November. The cost of that disinformation campaign is absolutely measurable. In the United States, not only did the total number of Americans vaccinated with the original vaccine stall out at under 70%, the percentage who have gotten the latest bivariant booster, which has been available for three months, is a mind-boggling 12.7%. That number explains why, over the last few months, the number of new deaths among those who got the original vaccine has come to exceed the number of deaths among the unvaccinated. Daily Kos Read more
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Long COVID May Be "The Next Public Health Disaster" — With A $3.7 Trillion Economic Impact Rivaling The Great Recession
Sam Norpel used to present regular financial updates to C-suite executives. Now, unpredictable bouts of broken, staccato speech make that impossible for the former e-commerce executive. Despite being up to date with vaccines and boosters, Norpel, 48, got COVID-19 in December 2021, when the highly transmissible Omicron variant was fueling record U.S. caseloads. She never got better — and in fact, feels worse, with a range of debilitating symptoms that make it impossible to work. Her halting speech can be triggered by something as innocuous as cold water or cool air on the skin. Extreme noise sensitivity requires her to wear noise-canceling headphones all day. She’s also endured a low-grade migraine for nearly a year, which can flare up after prolonged screen time. CNBC Read more
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Millions Suffer From Long COVID — And It Costs Them $9,000 A Year In Health-Care Expenses, On Average
David Cutler, an economist at Harvard University who projected the $3.7 trillion economic cost of long COVID, estimates the individual medical costs of the disease to be about $9,000 a year, on average. However, typical costs can range from roughly $3,700 up to almost $14,000, Cutler said. Costs can be much higher, depending on the severity of illness. And because symptoms often impact a person’s ability to work, someone suffering from long Covid may not be able to lean on a regular paycheck — or employer-sponsored health insurance — to help cover those medical bills. CNBC
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Pandemic Stress Prematurely Aged Teens’ Brains, Stanford Study Finds
Here’s one more disturbing example of how COVID messed with our heads: The stress from the pandemic prematurely aged adolescents’ brains, according to a new Stanford University study that adds to the growing list of the lockdown’s troubling impacts on teens. Using MRI scans, the study found that changes in brain structure that occur naturally with age sped up in adolescents as they experienced the COVID-19 lockdowns. Their brains ended up looking like those of their peers about three years older. And that could have lasting implications for those youths if the changes are found to be more than temporary, researchers say. Mercury News Read more
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China Fines Former NBA Star Jeremy Lin Over Quarantine Comments
Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, who plays for a Chinese team, was fined 10,000 yuan ($1,400) for criticizing quarantine facilities, China’s professional league and a news report said Friday, as the government tries to stop protests against anti-virus controls that are among the world’s most stringent. Also Friday, more cities eased restrictions, allowing shopping malls, supermarkets and other businesses to reopen following protests last weekend in Shanghai and other areas in which some crowds called for President Xi Jinping to resign. Urumqi in the northwest, site of a deadly fire that triggered the protests, announced supermarkets and other businesses were reopening.
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Fauci Says China Has Done A Bad Job of Vaccinating The Elderly And Their Shots Are Not Very Effective Against COVID
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., criticized China’s COVID lockdowns as “draconian” and said the Beijing government should focus on vaccinating the elderly. “The vaccination of the elderly has not been well performed and the vaccine they have has been not a particularly effective vaccine,” Fauci said. China uses a domestically developed vaccine called CoronaVac manufactured by Sinovac. The shots contain killed virus that induce an immune response. Beijing has not approved Pfizer’s and Moderna’s messenger RNA vaccines. CNBC
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Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) |
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Parents Looking For Children’s Tylenol, Ibuprofen Find Empty Shelves As RSV and Flu Surge
People seeking over-the-counter medication for their sick children are often finding sparse or empty shelves, as a spike in respiratory illnesses pushes pediatricians and emergency rooms to the limit. Usual supplies of fever- and pain-reducing medicines, such as liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen recommended for children with RSV, flu or the coronavirus, have not kept up with demand in recent weeks in pockets of the country hit hardest by surging illnesses. Washington Post Read more
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What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About RSV Infection
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. While most people recover in a week or two, RSV can be serious, especially for infants, older adults and adults with chronic medical conditions. According to surveillance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been an increase in RSV-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations across the country, with some regions near seasonal peak levels. The American Medical Association’s What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series provides physicians with a platform to share what they want patients to understand about today’s health care headlines, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. AMA Read more
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U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy Joins Calm To Bring Mental Health Support Ahead Of The Holidays
Calm and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy are teaming up to help ease end-of-year stress for Americans across the country. As part of the campaign, Dr. Murthy has released “Mindfulness Tools,” a mindfulness content series with Calm designed to offer mental health support. The content series – available for free on YouTube and Calm – includes five sessions to support people through real-life experiences and emotions. Themes include: easing holiday stress, combating loneliness, navigating hectic days and dealing with uncertainty, change and negativity in the world. “Access to mental health support is vital to our overall well-being,” said Dr. Murthy. “During my travels across the country as Surgeon General, I’ve heard firsthand about the mental health struggles and loneliness that people are facing. While the pandemic brought the issues of stress, anxiety, and loneliness to the forefront, these struggles existed long before COVID-19. Easy-to-use mental health tools and practices can help families address stress and strengthen one of the most powerful sources of healing – our relationships with one another.” Business Wire Read more
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Students Sue Yale University, Alleging Discrimination Against Students With Mental Health Disabilities
Current students and an advocacy group are suing Yale University and its governing body, alleging “systemic discrimination against students with mental health disabilities,” according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Connecticut federal court. The lawsuit alleges the university discriminated against students with mental health disabilities and forced students to withdraw from the school after showing severe mental health disability symptoms. Yale officials pressure students to take “voluntary” leaves of absence for at least one or two terms when they experience significant symptoms from a mental health disability by suggesting they would otherwise face an ‘involuntary’ withdrawal,” the lawsuit alleges. CNN Read more
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,815,760
California: 11,543,461
U.S.: 98,972,375
Alameda County
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the Latest Figures
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 9,409
California: 97,617
U.S.: 1,081,431
Contra Costa County
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the Latest Figures
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Suffering From Flu, RSV Or COVID-19? How You Can Tell The Difference
The U.S. is facing a surge of respiratory viruses, mainly driven by COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Flu and RSV have appeared earlier than usual and have particularly affected children, leading to 78% of pediatric hospital beds being full, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. All three viruses have symptoms that are similar, which can make them difficult to tell apart. But knowing which virus a person has can help them receive proper treatment or, if need be, let them know if they need to isolate. ABC News 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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