COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Everything You Need to Know About Your Mammogram
Did you know that 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime? According to the American Cancer Society, when breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 99%. Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms. The National Breast Cancer Foundation provides help and inspires hope to those affected by breast cancer through early detection,
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COVID Test Resources
Food Pantries
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Stanford Scientists Say A Concerning Omicron Subvariant Is Now In The Bay Area
The new subvariant called the BA2.75.2 is being closely monitored because the body’s immune systems may not recognize it. The Clinical Virology Lab at Stanford University detected one case of it and several other cases also have been confirmed in Los Angeles County. "It’s known as one of the most immune evasive variants so far,” said UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. Specifically, the subvariant’s spike protein looks different, which means antibodies we have from getting a vaccine or from having had COVID may not be able to recognize it and there could be a higher chance of it, causing infection. NBC Bay Area Read more
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Pandemic Exodus Left Bay Area With Largest Drop In Household Income In U.S.
The San Francisco Bay area has long been known as the home of Big Tech — and the extreme wealth the industry has created. But during the pandemic, as workers and companies relocated elsewhere, San Francisco experienced the largest drop in median household income among top U.S. metropolitan areas, according to data from the Census Bureau. The median household income in the metropolitan area that includes San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley fell from $121,551 in 2019 to $116,005 in 2021, according to a census report this month. Washington Post Read more
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Oakland Saw The Biggest Spike in Homelessness During The COVID-19 Pandemic, Data Shows
Recent federal data compiled by the Associated Press shows changes in homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic across some of the biggest U.S. cities — and while San Francisco saw a slight decrease over the last two years, another Bay Area city saw the second-largest spike in the state. Oakland saw an increase of 20% in its homeless population from 2020 to 2022, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The East Bay city saw the second-biggest increase in homelessness in the state, under Sacramento, which saw a staggering increase of 68%. NBC Bay Area Read more
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El Cerrito Ending Its State Of Emergency Over COVID-19 By 2023
Last month, the El Cerrito City Council passed a resolution to end its local state of emergency as of Dec. 31. The local emergency has been in place since March 13, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has allowed the city to enact various emergency measures including closure of city facilities and other related health and safety measures. In addition, actions taken under the local emergency included an eviction moratorium for residential and commercial rental properties and the creation of a temporary outdoor dining and retail program for local businesses. East Bay Times
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Piedmont Schools’ Employee Turnover High During Pandemic
Recovery from a pandemic doesn’t happen overnight when it comes to students and teachers in the Piedmont Unified School District or in most school districts, for that matter. The residual effects of teacher burnout due to COVID-19 pandemic measures can still be felt in the district, but the future is said to look brighter. The district and its teachers union, the Association of Piedmont Teachers (APT), have reached a tentative agreement that will provide a 7.5% raise to all teachers backdated to July 1, a $1,500 one-time bonus and an increase in health benefits. The union’s members are voting on the proposal that if approved, would come before the school board at its Oct. 12 meeting. Piedmont teachers received a 2.5% raise last year. East Bay Times
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
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Pfizer, BioNTech Enlist Marvel's Avengers In Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Push
Just like how the Avengers have repeatedly kept the world safe from Ultron, people need to protect themselves by updating their COVID-19 vaccination with the latest booster.
That’s the message Pfizer and BioNTech are trying to get across in a new custom comic bookpartnered with Marvel. The companies unveiled the project Tuesday. “We are proud to work with Marvel, which is so firmly entrenched in global culture and entertainment, to help remind people of the actions they can each take to help protect themselves, similarly to how the Avengers protect their community,” Pfizer said in a statement shared with Fierce Pharma Marketing. Fierce Pharma Read more
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Updated COVID-19 Boosters Are "Most Important Thing" Americans Can Do For Their Health Today, White House Official Says
About 11.5 million people in the United States have gotten an updated Covid-19 booster, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but more people need to prepare for fall and winter by getting their shots now, health officials said Friday. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha estimated during a news briefing that about 13 million to 15 million people – about half of whom are seniors – will have received their bivalent booster shot by the end of this week. “Our message is very simple: Don’t wait. Get vaccinated. Go get vaccinated now; get it before Halloween so you are ready before Thanksgiving and Chrismas and the holidays,” Jha said. CNN Read more
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COVID Vaccines Prevented At Least 330,000 Deaths Among U.S. Seniors In 2021, Health Officials Say
COVID vaccines prevented at least 330,000 deaths and nearly 700,000 hospitalizations among adult Medicare recipients in 2021, the Health and Human Services Department said in a new report published Friday. The reduction in hospitalizations due to vaccination saved more than $16 billion in medical costs, according to the HHS report. A 10% increase in vaccination coverage was associated with a 12% and 15% decline in the chances of hospitalization and death, respectively, among adult Medicare recipients, according to the study. CNBC Read more
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"Paxlovid Rebound" Caused By A Robust Immune Response, Not A Weak One
A rebound of COVID-19 symptoms in some patients after taking Pfizer's antiviral Paxlovid may be related to a robust immune response rather than a weak one, U.S. government researchers reported on Thursday. They concluded that taking a longer course of the drug - beyond the recommended five days - was not required to reduce the risk of a recurrence of symptoms as some have suggested, based on an intensive investigation of rebound in eight patients at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center. Reuters Read more
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State/National/International News |
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Deaths Among Older Adults Due To COVID-19 Jumped During the Summer Of 2022 Before Falling Somewhat In September
As of the week ending October 1, 2022, the United States has lost nearly 1.1 million lives to COVID-19, of which about 790,000 are people ages 65 and older. People 65 and older account for 16% of the total US population but 75% of all COVID deaths to date. Vaccinations, boosters, and treatments have led to a substantial decline in severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19, but with booster uptake lagging, deaths for older adults rose again during the summer of 2022. From April to July 2022, the number of deaths due to COVID increased for all ages but rose at a faster rate for older than younger adults and stayed high through August 2022, with deaths due to COVID topping 11,000 in both July and August among people 65 and older. While COVID deaths began to drop again in September, they were still higher for those ages 65 and older than in April or May; for those younger than 65, deaths dropped below their April levels. Kaiser Family Foundation Read more
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Pregnancy Complications Spiked During The Pandemic. Is Coronavirus To Blame?
Lauren Phillips, a 32-year-old attorney from Brooklyn, had an easy pregnancy. Her vitals remained perfect, she felt great eating only vegan food, and was able to walk three miles a day throughout. The only blip was that despite being thrice vaccinated and meticulous about masking, she got infected with the coronavirus in her second trimester. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal — “just like a mild cold” — and her pregnancy proceeded without incident until she gave birth to a healthy eight-pound baby boy in April. The trouble began a few days later. Washington Post Read more
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Masking Recommendation For School Nurses’ Offices Quietly Dropped By CDC
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its masking guidance for K-12 schools, updating a portion that previously said the agency “recommends masking at all times in healthcare settings, including school nurses’ offices, regardless of the current COVID-19 Community Level.” The change follows the agency’s new guidancepublished last week, saying it no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings, unless the facilities are in areas of high COVID-19 transmission. The new wording for schools says that “recommendations for masking in nurses’ offices may depend on factors such as COVID-19 Community Level, outbreak status, and patient access.” SF Chronicle Read more
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CDC To Stop Reporting Daily COVID-19 Cases, Moving To Weekly Reports
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will stop reporting daily COVID-19 cases later this month and switch to weekly reports after more than two years of near constant daily updates. In an update regarding its coronavirus data and surveillance, the CDC said it was transitioning from daily to weekly reports to allow for more “flexibility” and to reduce the burden on state and local governments. The change in case reporting will take place on Oct. 20. The Hill Read more
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4 Out Of 5 People With Long COVID Have Trouble Performing Day-To-Day Activities
Most people suffering from long COVIDare experiencing some trouble performing day-to-day activities, new federal data shows. As of Sept. 26, 81% of adults with ongoing symptoms of COVID lasting three months or longer - or four out of five adults - are experiencing limitations in their daily activities compared to before they had the virus. Additionally, 25% said they were experiencing significant limitations. The data was published last Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. ABC News Read more
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Telemedicine Was Made Easy During COVID-19. Not Any More
Telemedicine exploded in popularity after COVID-19 hit, but limits are returning for care delivered across state lines.
That complicates follow-up treatments for some cancer patients. It also can affect other types of care, including mental health therapy and routine doctor check-ins. Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state, according to the Alliance for Connected Care, which advocates for telemedicine use. AP Read more
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The Monkeypox Virus Is Mutating. Are Scientists Worried?
As researchers at the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul were sequencing samples of the monkeypox virus a few months ago, they made a surprising discovery. In one sample collected from an infected person, a large chunk of the virus’s genome was missing, and another chunk had moved to an entirely different spot in the sequence. Although scientists aren’t alarmed, they are monitoring the situation carefully to understand why the alterations have appeared, and what they might mean for the global monkeypox outbreak. These mutations are a stark reminder that even poxviruses — which are DNA viruses that tend to evolve more slowly than RNA viruses, such as the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus — will change over time, says Elliot Lefkowitz, a computational virologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Nature Read more
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Monkeypox Case Rates 5 Times Higher In Black Americans
A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data reveals that monkeypox case rates in the US disproportionately affect Black and Latino Americans, with Black Americans having case rates 5 times of those found among White peers (14.4 cases vs. 2.6 per 100,000). "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) and Hispanic people also have significantly higher rates of reported MPX cases at 10.0 and 8.3 per 100,000, respectively. Rates are lower and similar for Asian (3.0 per 100,000), American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) (2.8 per 100,000), and White (2.6 per 100,000) people," the report reads. CIDRAP Read more
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Citing Ebola Outbreak In Uganda, U.S. To Screen All Passengers Arriving From There
The United States is going to direct travelers arriving from Uganda, where a fast-growing Ebola outbreak arose in recent weeks, to five airports where they can be screened for possible infection. Starting last Friday, U.S.-bound passengers who have been in Uganda within the past three weeks will be routed to JFK, Newark, Atlanta, O’Hare, or Dulles outside Washington, D.C., according to a statement from the U.S. embassy in Uganda. The policy applies to all passengers, including U.S. citizens. STAT Read more
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,768,705
California: 11,296,777
U.S.: 96,701,756
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series and Boosted: 73.6%
Total Cases: 349,169
Total Deaths: 2,012
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 5.0%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 10/10): 57
ICU Beds Available (as of 10/10): 91
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 9,199
California: 96,217
U.S.: 1,062,578
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series and Boosted: 70.4%
Total Cases: 272,792
Total Deaths: 1,434
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 5.4%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 10/10): 37
ICU Beds Available (as of 10/10): 54
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Living And Working With Long COVID
Most people who have been infected with COVID-19 fully recover, but as the World Health Organization reports, roughly 10 to 20% of them suffer from long COVID: they have new, recurring, or persisting symptoms or health issues at least four weeks after their diagnosis. While they are not contagious, people suffering from long COVID might experience one or more symptoms such as fatigue; shortness of breath; memory and concentration problems, sometimes referred to as “brain fog”; sleep problems; muscle aches or pain; psychological symptoms, such as depression or anxiety; and changes in smell or taste. These symptoms may impact quality of life and limit the ability to complete everyday activities — making a normal working routine hugely challenging. SAP 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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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 10/10/2022
Oakland: 98,953
Hayward: 45,867
Fremont: 38,556
San Leandro: 23,059
Berkeley: 20,521
Livermore: 16,833
Union City: 15,355
Eden Area MAC: 14,982
Alameda: 12,956
Dublin: 12,234
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 10/10/2022
Richmond: 37,697
Antioch: 34,586
Concord: 28,477
Pittsburg: 21,552
Brentwood: 17,855
San Pablo: 15,801
Walnut Creek: 14,674
San Ramon: 14,184
Oakley: 13,164
Martinez: 9,861
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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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