Eden Health District COVID-19 Bulletin
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“Somehow we have it in our mind if we’re gathering with our close family, there’s not the same disease spread risk that there is in public places. That is just not the case.”
Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner of the Chicago health department, 9/9/20
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Sheltering in place inspires musician to expand local endeavors |
A conversation with saxophonist Solomon Alber is like listening to jazz. He riffs on various topics but always returns to the main theme -- how he and other musicians are handling the pandemic.
"Even though Covid-19 did prompt many struggles and difficulties for musicians and artists in the Bay Area and the rest of the world, I believe that we are all being as creative as we can be right now and using this time to build an even stronger connection with our communities," Alber said.
A 2017 graduate of Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California, Alber received a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music in Boston after years of playing alto saxophone at prestigious gigs. He toured New York and Canada with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, and performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival. He also is a two-time Louis Armstrong Award winner.
In the spring, Alber returned to his family home in Pleasanton to finish his classes online, and he just started his senior year still sheltering in place here. But during the summer he stepped up his teaching efforts, released an album called "Salmon Alaska" in July, and launched a project for young musicians and artists to get creative together.
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Alber is busy planning his Second Wind Online Music and Arts Camp in early January for middle and high school musicians, vocalists, visual artists, dancers, lyricists, poets and writers. He is excited to create opportunities for students -- and guest teachers -- to use their talents.
"I'm going to give students music and art projects to help them stay creative at home, and to try and teach them certain techniques, certain skills that are helpful if a musician is writing a song or if an artist is painting watercolors," Alber said. "At the end there will be a virtual performance and a virtual gallery to show all the students' work for friends and families."
"It's important to stay creative and optimistic," Alber added. "I've always been looking toward the future, looking for new ways to inspire and help people as much as I can."
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Alameda County: 21,189
Contra Costa County: 16,640
Bay Area: 102,193
California: 809,643
U.S.: 7,127,210
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Alameda County: 406
Contra Costa County: 206
Bay Area: 1,490
California: 15,606
U.S.: 204,861
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SF Chronicle, September 28, 2020
Many Bay Area residents woke up to a double whammy Monday morning: scorching temperatures and smoky air. Again. Air quality in the Bay Area began to deteriorate early Monday morning, as smoke from several Northern California wildfires — including the new, out-of-control Glass Fire in St. Helena — pushed into the region.
The combination of wildfire smoke and balmy temperatures will likely choke a region already wearied by weeks of poor air quality this month. Officials urged people to stay inside.
The new Glass Fire in St. Helena, which ignited just before 4 a.m. Sunday, was responsible for much of the smoke, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Wind gusts reached 60 miles per hour on Mount St. Helena on Sunday evening, with the winds blowing toward the southwest.
Press Release, September 25, 2020
On Tuesday, September 22, the State announced an update to its color-coded four-tier Blueprint for a Safer Economy to allow nail salons to operate indoors even in the most restrictive Purple Tier. Although the State moved Alameda County into the Red Tier on September 22, the tier below Purple, Covid-19 still poses substantial risk in our County. Research studies continue to show that outdoor activities pose less risk of Covid-19 transmission than indoor activities, and the County encourages all businesses permitted to open indoor operations to continue to provide services outdoors whenever feasible.
Local Health Officers may proceed more cautiously than the State allows. After reviewing the State guidance, Alameda County public health officials have determined that nail salons operating indoors with appropriate safety measures would add minimal additional risk to customers and staff. Alameda County nail salons that follow local and State guidance are now permitted to operate indoors.
Press Release, September 25, 2020
The Hayward City Council has voted to extend by four months until Jan. 31, 2021, an emergency city moratorium that bars evictions of commercial tenants for nonpayment of rent due to Covid-19. The Council action, which took place Tuesday, amends a broader city moratorium that was scheduled to end on Sept. 30 and that prohibited evictions of both residential and commercial tenants, as well as homeowners, in which COVID-19 was a factor in failure to make rent or mortgage loan payments.
SF Gate, September 26, 2020
The United States Department of Justice sent a strongly-worded letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Friday, warning of "further action" if current restrictions on places of worship amid the coronavirus pandemic are not lifted. Under the city's current health order, only one congregant at a time is allowed to worship indoors. Even though San Francisco is permitted to allow 25% capacity at indoor places of worship under its status as a red tier county, local officials have taken a stricter approach.
SF Chronicle, September 26, 2020
San Francisco’s program to house the homeless in hotels is stretching its already strapped budget, with monthly costs topping $18 million, although the federal government is expected to pay for 75% of it.
On Friday, Abigail Stewart-Kahn, interim director of the homeless services department, said people will gradually start transitioning out of rooms immediately, and some hotels will stop accepting new guests at some point in November. She said all the hotel residents will move to other places by June. While some might end up in permanent supportive housing, others might go to temporary shelter beds or sanctioned tent encampments. The hotel program, which began in April in response to the pandemic, was always meant to be temporary.
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USA Today, September 28, 2020
By the end of July, about 9% of American adults had been exposed to the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, according to a new study of dialysis patients, the largest yet looking for evidence of the disease in people's blood. The infection rates varied from essentially zero in some states that avoided infection by midsummer, to more than one-third of residents in parts of New York hard-hit in the spring.
The upshot is the American public is a long way from achieving "herd immunity" – having enough infections to prevent further spread of the virus. The new study, published in The Lancet, is in line with previous, smaller studies, and also showed areas with high numbers of Black and non-white Latino residents had higher infection rates than mostly white communities.
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German Lopez, VOX, September 28, 2020
The surge of Covid-19 cases and deaths in America over the summer resulted from a toxic mix of factors: states reopening, lockdown fatigue, and a season typically filled with vacations and holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. People gathered and celebrated indoors — at bars, restaurants, and friends and family’s homes. Millions of people got sick, and tens of thousands died.
This fall, experts worry it will all happen again: States are rolling back restrictions, people are eager to get back to normal, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up. America may be on the verge of repeating the same mistakes, which would risk yet another surge in the Covid-19 epidemic.
Associated Press, September 26, 2020
Just how does the virus that causes Covid-19 spread from one person to another? It clearly hitchhikes on small liquid particles sprayed out by an infected person. People expel particles while coughing, sneezing, singing, shouting, talking and even breathing. But the drops come in a wide range of sizes, and scientists are trying to pin down how risky the various kinds are.
The recommendation to stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) apart — some authorities cite about half that distance — is based on the idea that larger particles fall to the ground before they can travel very far. They are like the droplets in a spritz of a window cleaner, and they can infect somebody by landing on their nose, mouth or eyes, or maybe being inhaled. But some scientists are now focusing on tinier particles, the ones that spread more like cigarette smoke. Those are carried by wisps of air and even upward drafts caused by the warmth of our bodies. They can linger in the air for minutes to hours, spreading throughout a room and build up if ventilation is poor.
Erina Allday, health reporter, SF Chronicle, September 28, 2020
Brentwood resident Rick Sullivan, 60, now three months from the day he first developed symptoms and self-identified among the group of patients known as long-haulers, still struggles with severe fatigue and cognition issues. Among the millions who have survived are an untold number of people who suffered serious illness and now face lingering and even disabling symptoms, in some cases months after they were deemed recovered.
NY Times, September 24, 2020
Experts warn that seemingly harmless interactions with close family and friends may be driving the spread of Covid. With friends and family, we relax; we take off our masks and aren’t as strict about policing our kids’ social distancing. Whenever possible, hold social gatherings outside, pediatrician Dr. Sean O'Leary advised, and make sure everyone wears masks, especially if they cannot stay at least six feet apart.
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KPIX 5 SF Bay Area, September 25, 2020
California has begun to see concerning upticks in coronavirus data after a sustained period of decline, the state’s top health official said Friday, urging people to renew efforts to prevent spread. The increases include the rate of cases per capita, hospital emergency department visits for COVID-19 and new hospitalizations for confirmed or suspected cases, California Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mark Ghaly said.
Ghaly said the trends appear to be attributable to gathering and activities around the Labor Day holiday. Other factors could include recent reopening of businesses and massive wildfires that forced evacuations and millions to change their routines because of unhealthy air.
LA Times, September 27, 2020
Los Angeles County saw a continued decline in the number of people with serious cases of Covid-19 this weekend, with fewer than 700 patients hospitalized on Sunday. There were three times as many Covid-19 hospitalizations during the summer surge.
The reduction in the most serious cases came as the county reported 815 new cases overall and 10 deaths for the day. There were 692 people hospitalized with Covid-19 on Sunday, compared with 1,100 in late August and more than 2,200 in mid-July. Hospitalizations, like new cases and deaths, are considered a key indicator of how well counties are handling the spread of the coronavirus and how much demand the pandemic is putting on local healthcare systems.
Mercury News, September 28, 2020
A record number of Californians — more than 8 million — have filed first-time unemployment claims since March. The lucky ones managed a lateral career switch without too much financial damage, but as personal savings and emergency unemployment benefits run dry, an increasing number of middle-income and white-collar workers can’t afford to wait for their old jobs to return. Hardest-hit by early pandemic closures were low-wage workers in the service and retail industries, but as those sectors start rehiring, others are expected to face long-lasting cuts, including DJs, waiters, airport staff, event planners and tour guides. In the last 12 months, the state’s arts and entertainment industry lost more than 1.5 million net jobs, according to a report from the Center for Jobs and the Economy.
San Diego Union-Tribune, September 26, 2020
After six months of navigating the dips and surges of the novel coronavirus and nervously monitoring California’s ever-changing rules for what is and isn’t safe to reopen, local restaurants, bars and gyms are questioning how much longer — if at all — they and their employees can outlast the pandemic. The latest set of rules, guided by a Byzantine color-coded system tied to positivity rates, covers more than three dozen business sectors, with some able to widely reopen once the virus substantially recedes and still others limited to operating at no more than half their original capacity.
CalMatters, September 25, 2020
As the pandemic stretches into its seventh month, tenants and landlords have found themselves facing the same question: Who’s going to pay the rent if unemployment continues to hover north of 11%?
Rent strikes typically take place in multi-unit apartment complexes, where tenants collectively refuse to pay rent until a problem is fixed, essentially forming a union of tenants. But that could be changing during the pandemic as the threat of evictions looms over a far wider swath of tenants. What’s also changing during the pandemic is a broader call for rent strikes among people who are not in multi-unit buildings. That could include people in single family homes, which would be unprecedented.
SF Chronicle, September 27, 2020
Gov. Newsom signed a measure requiring health providers to track Covid-19 and all other communicable diseases in the LGBTQ community, a step that advocates called crucial for catching outbreaks early and combating stigma in the public-health system.
SB 932 by Sen. Scott Wiener will mandate that health workers ask patients infected with the coronavirus and about 90 other diseases about their sexual orientation and gender identity. Patients could decline to answer.
Sacramento Bee, September 28, 2020
The number of violent crimes in the Sacramento region’s three largest cities rose during the first six months of 2020 compared to the same period last year, new FBI data show. An increase in gun violence occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, around the time authorities were beginning to loosen coronavirus stay-at-home rules.
LA Times, September 28, 2020
Many of the familiar rituals of stumping for votes are off the table during the Covid-19 pandemic, drastically changing what it looks like to run for office in Los Angeles. Candidates are debating over video calls, rather than in community centers or church halls. Door knocking, long revered as the gold standard for reaching out to voters, has been called off by many candidates.
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NPR, September 26, 2020
The number of new daily coronavirus infections in the U.S. continued to rise this past week, driven by upward trends in nearly half the states that have pushed total cases in the country past 7 million. Daily cases were largely on a downward trend through August and early September from highs in July, but are now going up again.
According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Tracker, the U.S. reported more than 55,000 new cases on Friday. Overall, about two-dozen states and territories reported an upward trend in new infections, with some states setting and breaking records in days.
CNN, September 28, 2020
As cases spike in parts of New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that Covid-19 "remains a force to be reckoned with throughout the country."
Though the rate of positive tests is still low relative to other states, neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn are seeing cases "continue to grow at an alarming rate," according to a news release from the city's Department of Health. Public schools in New York City are returning to the classroom for the first time this week, but officials could decide to close schools, limit gatherings and issue fines for not wearing masks.
The Atlantic, September 26, 2020
Last week, Wisconsin has crashed through its own coronavirus records, reporting more cases and more Covid-19 hospitalizations than it has at any time since the pandemic began, according to the Covid Tracking Project at The Atlantic. It now ranks among the top states in new cases per capita, according to the CDC, and it is reporting more new cases, in absolute terms, than all states but California, Texas, and Florida.
Wisconsin’s outlook was deteriorating into the weekend. Other states in the Midwest saw similar spikes after colleges and universities restarted for the fall. But those states are not seeing what Wisconsin is now. Cases are popping up in too many places, and among too many different age groups, to be blamed on college kids. In fact, every age group except 18-to-24-year-olds has seen cases rise this week, according to official data.
NBC News, September 28, 2020
The director of the CDC has grown increasingly concerned that President Donald Trump, pushed by a new member of his coronavirus task force, is sharing incorrect information about the pandemic with the public. Dr. Robert Redfield, who leads the CDC, suggested in a conversation with a colleague Friday that Dr. Scott Atlas is arming Trump with misleading data about a range of issues, including questioning the efficacy of masks, whether young people are susceptible to the virus and the potential benefits of herd immunity. "Everything he says is false," Redfield said during a phone call made in public on a commercial airline and overheard by NBC News.
CNN, September 28, 2020
In addition, two-thirds of parents don't believe getting a flu shot for their child is more important this year, despite advice to the contrary from major government organizations and pediatricians. "Children younger than 5 years old -- especially those younger than 2 -- are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications," the CDC said, adding that getting a flu shot during the pandemic -- for all ages -- is more important than ever.
Bloomberg, September 25, 2020
N-95 masks are recommended by the CDC to filter out small airborne smoke particles and Covid-19, but they were almost unfindable this month even as air quality in West Coast states ranged from merely unhealthy to hazardous. The pandemic has decimated the supply, making it nearly impossible for people to get protection, and federal efforts to increase supply of the staple have fallen short. Fire season has weeks to go.
NY Times, September 28, 2020
On Monday, Dr. Ariangela Kozik kicks off Black in Microbiology Week, the latest in a series of virtual events highlighting Black scientists in a variety of disciplines, as one of its two lead organizers. Despite years of progress, Black people continue to be underrepresented in science and engineering. Whereas more than 13 percent of the United States’ population identifies as Black or African-American, Black people make up less than 7 percent of students who earn bachelor’s degrees in science or engineering fields and less than 5 percent of people granted doctorates in microbiology each year, according to the National Science Foundation.
Politico, September 26, 2020
Representatives for President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have hammered out the final details for Tuesday’s debate, a showdown that will be heavily shaped by the coronavirus pandemic. The two sides have decided to forego the traditional pre-debate handshake in light of the virus, according to a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations. They also won’t do an elbow-bump, a coronavirus-era handshake substitute which both campaigns saw as awkward.
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EdSource, September 28, 2020
While most schools in California remain closed for in-person classes, some districts are welcoming students with special needs back to campus — even as debate swirls about safety and districts’ obligation to uphold special education laws. Classes are limited to 14 students and two adults, and are reserved for those who need occupational or speech therapy or other services that are not delivered well online.
Offering in-person classes is not mandatory, and the state is not tracking which districts have chosen to offer classes in person. Students in special education are not required to return to campus, regardless of whether their school is offering in-person classes.
LA Times, September 25, 2020
Schools in Orange County are beginning to reopen. For parents trying to gauge the safety of their school’s plan, it may be useful to put the county’s numbers and procedures in context with how places around the world have handled school reopenings.
Experts say that the safety of school reopenings is partly about the measures that schools put in place — including masks or other shields, physical distancing guidelines, reduced class sizes, increased hygiene, routine screenings, contact tracing and protocol for when a coronavirus case is found. Also important is how much the coronavirus is circulating in the community.
CalMatters, September 25, 2020
Residential orientations at universities like UCLA are typically jam-packed with activities — campus tours, advisors walking students through class registration and fairs where newcomers are introduced to student services, clubs and sports teams. But incoming students won’t get that first taste of campus life: they’re being introduced to their universities via Zoom. And in some cases, they’ve paid hundreds of dollars for the privilege. It’s another college cost frustrating some students who already feel that campuses are overcharging them for a fall term that’s taking place largely online. The fact that so much information is available online — and the lack of engagement with a physical campus — has some students wondering what they’re paying for.
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Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2020
In a back-to-school season full of surprises, the latest is that some students are returning to classrooms without teachers. In teacherless classrooms, students take virtual lessons while a proctor or substitute maintains order. The arrangement is cropping up in schools nationwide as districts look for creative ways to get students back into classrooms. Experts at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy say a remote-teacher plan could be a good solution during an unusual time, if the lessons are challenging and the school is fostering other in-person relationships.
Boston Globe, September 28, 2020
As schools and day-care centers were shuttered last spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus, hundreds of emergency child-care centers stayed open to serve the children of essential workers, even amid concerns that little was known about the risk of infection and transmission among children. Newly released state data show that few cases of coronavirus spread within those centers.
Rony Adams, director of early learning for the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, attributes the containment largely to strict safety protocols: Children and staff must remain in their classrooms. Floaters no longer fill in for teachers’ breaks in multiple rooms. Teachers wear masks, face shields or goggles, scrubs, and gloves, and children have been surprisingly compliant about mask wearing, social distancing, and frequent hand-washing, Adams said.
USA Today, September 28, 2020
Many teachers and families feared a spike in Covid-19 cases when Florida made the controversial push to reopen schools in August with in-person instruction. But a USA Today analysis shows the state’s positive case count among kids aged 5 to 17 declined through late September after a peak in July. Among the counties seeing surges in overall cases, it’s college-age adults – not school children – driving the trend, the analysis found. The early results in Florida show the success of rigorous mask-wearing, social distancing, isolating contacts, and quick contact tracing when necessary, said health experts.
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19-year-old Covid-19 survivor has message |
Jibriel Tawalbeh, 19, of Palos Hills, Illinois, was the healthiest person in his family. He was a taekwondo national finalist and passed his well-child visits with flying colors. He was physically active, despite being a little overweight. So when the coronavirus began rearing its ugly head, the worst his mother thought could happen to her healthy son was on par with a bad flu. "Of all the people I worried about getting critically ill in my family, Jibriel was the last person I was concerned about," Elizabeth McKittrick said.
All that changed in the early days of the pandemic. Elizabeth and her husband, Ibrihim Tawalbeh, are both essential workers in the health care field. Elizabeth worked the front line at an area hospital as a respiratory therapist taking care of Covid-19 patients. Tawalbeh managed a medicar transportation company. Both were exposed to people with the coronavirus.
In mid-April, Elizabeth came home with a rotten headache and discovered she could not smell an onion. Elizabeth called the hospital where she worked and got a Covid-19 test. The test came back positive April 21. Soon, other family members began falling ill. Jibriel came down with a bad case of diarrhea and vomiting. Three days later, he began having difficulty breathing.
Jibriel’s parents dropped him off the hospital on April 26. He walked into the ER on his own and was given a Covid-19 test. He tested positive. "We thought we would be bringing him home, but they kept him at the hospital," Elizabeth said.
Within three days, Jibriel was in critical condition. He was intubated on a ventilator and transferred to another hospital. The family was not allowed to visit Jibriel, who was on a floor with other Covid-19 patients. Even though she was not permitted to visit her son, Elizabeth took a leave of absence to keep vigil for Jibriel at home.
Twice, Jibriel almost died after going into septic shock. For 45 days, Jibriel lay in a medically induced coma attached to three different machines, dreaming deep, vivid dreams.
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In June, Jibriel finally turned a corner. He was taken off the ventilator but remained on the ECMO until mid-July. A stocky 6-footer, Jibriel's weight dropped from 230 to 170 pounds. His vocal cords and larynx were damaged from being intubated. He spoke in raspy whispers.
"We were super fortunate that we got to bring him home," Elizabeth said. "Other families were not as fortunate as us."
Jibriel was sent home in August with a hospital bed, commode, walker, wheelchair and oxygen. Most of the equipment has since been returned. He no longer needs the wheelchair to get around the house, but still uses it outside.
“He can't walk a block without getting tired," Elizabeth said. "His doctors expect him to make a full recovery, but it's going to take time."
Jibriel goes to therapy three times a week and cherishes the small pleasures from the months he missed, like riding in a car with the windows down and feeling the fresh air on his face after weeks in a hospital room. And taking a shower.
"I know it sounds ridiculous to say, but just being able to clean myself better than just wipes," Jibriel said.
As Covid-19 cases spike in young adults from superspreader events like parties and packed bars, Jibriel has a message for them: "Covid-19 is not a joke and is not a hoax. So please, take the safety precautions. Wear a mask when you go out, if you are not afraid of the safety of yourself at least do it for the safety of others. Be safe, take precautions. If you don't need to go outside then stay inside and find productive things to do around your home."
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LA Times, September 28, 2020
India’s confirmed coronavirus caseload reached 6 million Monday, double the 3 million the country recorded barely a month ago and second overall only to the U.S. New infections in India are currently being reported faster than anywhere else in the world, in part because of expanded testing. The world’s second-most-populous country is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country in coming weeks, surpassing the U.S., where more than 7.1 million infections have been reported.
Associated Press, September 28, 2020
Mexico’s top coronavirus official said Sunday that definitive data on the country’s death toll from Covid-19 won’t be available for “a couple of years.”
The statement by Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell is likely to revive debate about Mexico’s death toll, currently at 76,430, the fourth-highest in the world.
Officials have acknowledged in the past that the figure is a significant undercount, because it includes only those who died after a positive test result, almost always at a hospital. Mexico does very little testing, and many people die without a test.
The Guardian, September 28, 2020
Israeli politicians are considering whether to tighten an already paralyzing second coronavirus lockdown by bringing in controversial measures to limit people’s ability to protest and pray together. With the country recording some of the highest per capita daily infection rates in the world, Israel is grappling with concerns that both the government and society could have done more to halt the spread of the virus.
Reuters, September 27, 2020
Manaus, the largest city in Brazil’s Amazon, has closed bars and river beaches to contain a fresh surge of coronavirus cases, a trend that may dash theories that it was one of the world’s first places to reach collective, or herd, immunity.
University of Sao Paulo researchers suggested that a drastic fall in Covid-19 deaths in Manaus pointed to collective immunity at work, but they also believe that antibodies to the disease after infection may not last more than a few months. Authorities had warned Manaus residents they were ignoring the virus and risked a second wave of contagion by not wearing masks, packing into bars and attending parties. They shut down Manaus’ river beachfront where raves were being held. Now the numbers are on the rise again.
NY Times, September 27, 2020
In many parts of the developing world, school closures have put children on the streets. Families are desperate for money. Children are an easy source of cheap labor. While the United States and other developed countries debate the effectiveness of online schooling, hundreds of millions of children in poorer countries lack computers or the internet and have no schooling at all.
United Nations officials estimate that at least 24 million children will drop out and that millions could be sucked into work. Ten-year-olds are now mining sand in Kenya. Children the same age are chopping weeds on cocoa plantations in West Africa. In Indonesia, boys and girls as young as 8 are painted silver and pressed into service as living statues who beg for money.
Child labor is just one piece of a looming global disaster. Severe hunger is stalking children from Afghanistan to South Sudan. Forced marriages for girls are rising across Africa and Asia, according to U.N. officials, as is child trafficking. Data from Uganda showed teen pregnancies shooting up during pandemic-related school closures.
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Maryn McKenna, Wired, September 28, 2020
One thing is still missing from the US coronavirus response: a comprehensive national strategy for how to combat Covid-19.
This is unusual. In the past, the US government has produced thorough plans for handling epidemics, both for outbreaks we were already in the middle of and for ones we could envision arriving, such as pandemic flu. Now a group of HIV researchers, impatient with the delay, has proposed taking one of those plans, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, as the basis of a comprehensive Covid-19 response, one that would define what it means to beat back this disease, and set out the steps to get there.
Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times, September 27, 2020
As the autumn chill ushers people back into homes, classrooms and offices, the coronavirus may resurge even in states that so far have restrained its spread.
Why? The virus poses a greater threat in crowded indoor spaces than it does outdoors. We asked experts which strategies people should embrace, and which ones to avoid, as the weather cools.
Here’s one that’s easy and free: If possible, open your windows, “especially during the shoulder season when the conditions are more mild,” Dr. Allen said. Schools are required to have enough ventilation to fully exchange the air in a room every 20 minutes, but most barely manage to do so once every hour. “Even just opening windows six inches can dramatically change the air exchange rate,” Dr. Allen said.
Andy Slavitt, Former Medicare, Medicaid & ACA head, Medium, September 28, 2020
The highway day of new cases in over a month. But the president is not talking about that. With 200,000 lives lost, it would be great to say the worst is behind us. All I can say is the worst is still in charge. A new study shows 9% of Americans have been infected with Covid-19.
The fall is here. Colleges are underway. We are in the process of repeating the mistakes we’ve made over and over.
Ian Haydon, Washington Post, September 28, 2020
In April, I signed up for the world’s first coronavirus vaccine trial. I was twice injected with the highest dose of mRNA-1273, an experimental vaccine made by the National Institutes of Health and the private biotechnology company Moderna. That vaccine candidate, along with a handful of others, has progressed to the final stage of clinical testing. If proved safe and effective, it may put a stop to the pandemic. President Trump has promised a coronavirus vaccine will be approved next month and the public will have access to it “immediately.”
Science does not happen on a fixed schedule. It takes time to get things right. Interfering with that process for political purposes would not only be dangerous, but it would also be an insult to the tens of thousands of vaccine volunteers like me who have already taken on personal risk on behalf of others.
Jessica Powell, NY Times, September 25, 2020
In our previous office lives, some of us had access to free food, coffee rooms or other on-site perks. We might have enjoyed them, but they also helped keep us in the office for long hours. Likewise, the presence of co-workers and bosses made us more compliant, less likely to take a proper lunch hour or make the effort to attend a child’s school event. I split my day differently now, sometimes having lunch with my husband and kids at noon, or starting work much earlier or later depending on what I need to get done that day.
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Red (Substantial)
- 3.5 Adjusted case rate of new Covid-19 positive cases per day per 100,000 residents
- 2.5% Positivity rate
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Widespread (Purple)
- 6.5 Adjusted case rate of new Covid-19 positive cases per day per 100,000 residents
- 4.0% Positivity rate
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All California counties are assigned to a tier based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks, it will be assigned a more restrictive tier. For Contra Costa County to move down to the red tier, daily new cases (per 100k) must be between 4-7 and positive tests must be between 5-8% for another consecutive week. The state updates the tier data every Tuesday. |
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Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have confirmed 631 new cases, which amounts to 38 cases per 100,000 residents.
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have confirmed 682 new cases, which amounts to 60 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 8 Locations of Cases in Alameda County, as of 9/27/20. Alameda County does not publish cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days by city.
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Oakland: 8,385
Hayward: 3,063
Fremont: 1,411
Eden MAC: 1,334
San Leandro: 1,155
Livermore: 887
Union City: 761
Castro Valley: 537
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Top 8 Locations of Cases in Contra Costa County plus (in parentheses) cases per 100,000 in last 14 days, as of 9/27/20
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Richmond: 3,237 (244)
Antioch: 2,227 (152)
Concord: 2,198 (119)
Pittsburgh: 1,855 (180)
San Pablo: 1,449 (312)
Bay Point: 896 (322)
Brentwood: 619 (67)
Walnut Creek: 586 (38)
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We are proud to partner with the East Bay Community Foundation in publishing this bulletin. Through donations to its Covid-19 Response Fund, the EBCF provides grants to East Bay nonprofit organizations delivering essential services to those most impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.
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Working in collaboration with the Alameda County Public Health Department, the Cities of Hayward and San Leandro, and the Castro Valley and Eden Area Municipal Advisory Councils, the District has printed “Mask On” posters for each city and community in the Eden Health District area. The posters are free and intended for businesses, health clinics, schools, churches, public agencies and nonprofit organizations to display in their entrances.
“Wearing masks in public or any gatherings, including events with friends and extended families, is essential for slowing the spread of the virus,” stated Eden Health District Director Pam Russo. “While we are seeing signs of progress in California, Alameda County remains a Covid-19 'hot spot' in the Bay Area. Please wear a mask to protect yourself while protecting others.”
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The public is welcome to download and print or share “Mask On” posters from the District’s website. Posters are available in English, Spanish and Chinese languages.
Posters may also be retrieved during business hours from the lobby of the Eden Health District office building located at 20400 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley. Posters for the City of Hayward are also available from the Hayward Chamber of Commerce located at 22561 Main Street, Hayward.
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Public Education Covid-19 Flyers |
Contra Costa County Health Services has recently published highly informative flyers addressing the risks of becoming infected in certain settings and activities. |
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We have posted information on food pantries and food services in the cities of Hayward and San Leandro and unincorporated Alameda County including Castro Valley and San Lorenzo. You can access the information here on our website. Alameda County has also released an interactive map listing food distributions and other social services.
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Your feedback is welcome. Please share the Bulletin. |
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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.
Each bulletin includes a summary of the top health, Bay Area, California, national, education and international news on the pandemic plus links to a diverse range of commentary and analysis. We publish the Bulletin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, unless the day fall on a public holiday.
We welcome your feedback on our bulletin. Please contact editor Stephen Cassidy.
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