COVID-19
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Bay Area Coronavirus Cases Fall For First Time In Two Months, Offering Hope The Surge Has Peaked
Coronavirus cases have fallen in the Bay Area over the past week — the first glimpse of the latest surge having hit its peak, though health experts cautioned Friday that the virus remains widespread in the region and it may be too soon to say the worst is over for all counties. State data released Friday shows cases leveling off or dropping in most of the region for the first time in more than two months. Daily average cases have declined every day for the past week, and are down about 20% from two weeks ago; in San Francisco, average daily cases have fallen under 500 as of Friday, from about 600 two weeks ago. SF Chronicle Read more
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AC Transit Restores Onboard Face Masks Requirement On All Buses
Following Alameda County health officials' information that COVID-10 cases have exceeded last summer's Delta variant wave and are now approaching diagnoses previously seen during the winter 2020-21 spike, AC Transit announced Thursday that face masks will be required on all of its buses beginning last Friday. NBC Bay Area
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New COVID Test-To-Treat Sites Open In Contra Costa County
Contra Costa residents can go to several new ‘test-to-treat sites’ around the county, including one each in Antioch and Brentwood, to get prescription medication if they test positive for COVID-19. Three new test-to-treat locations recently opened in Antioch, Brentwood and Pleasant Hill at state sites operated by OptumServe that were previously used for only COVID-19 testing. Patients who go to the sites will take a rapid antigen test and, if positive and symptomatic, they will be connected to a doctor through video. If the doctor deems it medically appropriate, they will prescribe oral antiviral pills (Paxlovid or Molnupiravir), according to a county news release. The Brentwood Press Read more
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Local Health Officials Wary But Not Alarmed By Monkeypox in Bay Area
A possible first case of monkeypox in San Francisco won't stop people from enjoying major events this month include Pride celebrations. Health experts say it's too soon to be concerned about this virus over other infectious diseases already spreading in the Bay Area. The San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed Friday that the first probable case of monkeypox had been identified in a patient who was in isolation and in good condition. The patient has not reported any close contacts in the city during the time period when they could have spread the infection to others.
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
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White House Says COVID Vaccination For Kids Younger Than 5 Could Start In A Few Weeks
The White House laid out the federal government's plans to make the first COVID-19 vaccines available for very young children. COVID-19 vaccinations for kids younger than 5 could start right after the Juneteenth holiday. In a White House briefing on Thursday, Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, said if the Food and Drug Administration authorizes vaccines for the youngest kids soon after a June 15 advisory meeting, shipments of the first 10 million doses could start arriving at doctors' offices as soon as the following weekend. NPR Read more
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COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy May Protect Infants
COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy protects babies from SARS-CoV-2 infection in their first 4 months of life, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine. In the cohort study, which included all infants born in Norway late last year and early this year, COVID-19 incidence was lower in babies born to women who received either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. CIDRAP Read more
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Why Boosted Americans Seem To Be Getting More COVID-19 Infections
As COVID-19 cases began to accelerate again this spring, federal data suggests the rate of breakthrough COVID infections in April was worse in boosted Americans compared to unboosted Americans — though rates of deaths and hospitalizations remained the lowest among the boosted. The new data do not mean booster shots are somehow increasing the risk. Ongoing studies continue to provide strong evidence of additional protection offered by booster shots against infection, severe disease, and death. CBS News Read more
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Worried About Which COVID-19 Vaccine Is Better? Study Finds Getting Three Doses Is Key
Three doses of the same COVID-19 vaccine or a combination of different types work similarly well at preventing infections and hospital admissions, even those caused by different variants, a May 31, 2022 study in The BMJ found. The results also suggest that the number of vaccine doses is the key to providing the strongest immune protection, rather than a specific combination of vaccine types — with more protection offered by three doses than two. Three doses are especially needed since the emergence of the Omicron variants, said researchers, which spread rapidly and overcome some of the immune protection offered by vaccination and prior immunity. Healthline Read more
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The U.S. Has Wasted Over 82 Million COVID Vaccine Doses
Pharmacies, states, U.S. territories and federal agencies discarded 82.1 million COVID vaccine doses from December 2020 through mid-May — just over 11 percent of the doses the federal government distributed, according to data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared with NBC News. That’s an increase from the 65 million doses the CDC told the Associated Press had been wasted as of late February.
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State/National/International News |
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If You’re Still Waiting For Herd Immunity For COVID-19, It's Time To Move On: Experts
Early in the pandemic, scientists and public health experts leaned on their experience with other viruses to make predictions about COVID-19, hopeful that when enough people developed immunity, the virus would be stopped in its tracks. But in the years that followed, and even after the introduction of highly effective vaccines, vaccine scientists and public health experts interviewed by ABC News realized COVID-19 is unlikely to completely disappear. Although herd immunity through widespread vaccination can be a successful strategy for certain viruses, such as those that cause smallpox and polio, scientists no longer consider it an appropriate management strategy for the virus that causes COVID-19, these experts said. ABC News Read more
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More Than Two-Thirds Of People Have COVID Antibodies, WHO Says
More than two-thirds of the world’s population probably have significant levels of COVID-19 antibodies, meaning they have either been infected or were vaccinated, the World Health Organization said. So-called seroprevalence rates surged to 67% in October from 16% in February of 2021, the WHO said, in a summary of studies from around the globe. Given the emergence of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, the figure is probably even higher now. Bloomberg Read more
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The Missing Part Of America’s Pandemic Response
Many parts of the U.S. government, including its leading scientific agencies, are being blamed for the country’s chaotic and disorganized response to COVID-19. The CDC’s muddled and mistaken messaging about masks, testing, and the mechanism of viral spread sowed public confusion. The FDA’s extreme caution about approving boosters may have slowed the deployment of those vital measures. But a nation’s ability to weather a pandemic also depends upon its underlying ability to make major scientific discoveries, even—or especially—during moments of crisis. Success is not just a matter of luck; historically, the United States has made a series of strategic decisions that put researchers in a position to make timely breakthroughs. Yet amid the biggest health crisis in 100 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the $42-billion-a-year engine of our nation’s biomedical-research infrastructure, has been strangely quiet.
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There Will Be Another Pandemic, Infectious Disease Experts Say. Here Are 6 Ways We Can Prepare For It
More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reached a crossroads. On one hand, “this is the most teachable moment the world has had about the importance of public health in 100 years,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “On the other hand, we’re really at risk of heading full steam ahead into the neglect phase of the ‘panic-neglect cycle.’ ” The panic-neglect cycle is the habit of underinvesting or paying inadequate attention to the public health infrastructure and functions needed to prevent, identify, contain and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. Mercury News Read more
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The 10-Year-Old’s Symptoms Passed — But Then Worse Ones Set In. Her Case Shows How Little We Know About Long COVID In Kids
Shyne Staples leaps up and executes a flawless forward roll across a gym mat. She flips into a cartwheel, stands on her hands, then climbs a rope before spinning around a high bar in her San Mateo gymnastics class.bLike many 10-year-old girls, Shyne likes flying around the gym, Simone Biles-style. But unlike most of them, Shyne begins class already in pain, and the exertion puts her to sleep 90 minutes after it’s over. Shyne has long COVID. Lingering, debilitating effects of the coronavirus were identified early in the pandemic, and new studies suggest that at least one in five adults has ongoing symptoms. But few studies have focused on children who, like Shyne, find their childhood disrupted by COVID months after recovering. SF Chronicle Read more
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Travel To Mexico During COVID-19: What You Need To Know Before You Go
Mexico remains open to travelers. There is no need to provide a negative PCR test or quarantine on arrival, though most resorts ask guests to fill out health questionnaires. All air travelers 2 and older returning to the United States need a negative result from a Covid-19 test taken within one day of their departing flight, regardless of vaccination status. The US Embassy says results for PCR and antigen tests are reliably available within 24 hours in Mexico. Mercury News Read more
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Pandemic Restrictions Magnified Discrimination Against Most Marginalized Groups
Marginalized groups, including LGBTI+ people, sex workers, people who use drugs, and those experiencing homelessness, were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 regulations that exposed them to further discrimination and human rights abuses, Amnesty International said in a new report assessing the impact of pandemic restrictions across the globe.
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,452,186
California: 9,661,436
U.S.: 84,774,141
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.3%
Total Cases: 290,835
Total Deaths: 1,893
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 9.9%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 6/6): 110
ICU Beds Available (as of 6/6): 81
The community level of COVID-19 in Alameda County is medium based on cases and hospitalizations, according to the most recent update from the C.D.C. on June 2. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have risen. NY Times
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 8,471
California: 91,502
U.S.: 1,008,593
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.7%
Total Cases: 210,273
Total Deaths: 1,310
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 12.0%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 6/6): 77
ICU Beds Available (as of 6/6): 34
The community level of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County is medium based on cases and hospitalizations, according to the most recent update from the C.D.C. on June 2. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has risen in the Contra Costa area. Deaths have remained at about the same level.
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Reporting Home COVID Test Results Can Be Confusing
Here’s How to Do It
So, you got a positive result on your home test for COVID-19. What do you do next? In addition to everything else on your plate — isolating and notifying close contacts, taking time off work and rescheduling appointments — it’s good practice to report your test results. And while home tests have made it easier and faster to screen yourself and get treatment, it is not always easy to report an illness. This confusion has meant that many cases are left out of official counts. NY 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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Over the past week, Alameda County has averaged 716 new cases and 1.4 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 455 new cases and 0.6 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 6/6/2022
Oakland: 84,322
Hayward: 36,358
Fremont: 30,755
San Leandro: 17,590
Berkeley: 16,632
Eden MAC: 15,997
Livermore: 14,199
Union City: 12,673
Alameda: 10,491
Castro Valley: 10,159
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 6/6/2022
Richmond: 30,183
Antioch: 27,382
Concord: 22,698
Pittsburg: 17,730
San Pablo: 12,760
Brentwood: 12,605
Walnut Creek: 11,057
Oakley: 10,357
San Ramon: 9,906
Martinez: 7,173
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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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