COVID-19
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Oakland Unified School District Approves COVID Vaccination Mandate For Students 12 And Up
The Oakland Unified School Board voted to approve vaccine mandates for those 12 and older. Those with certain medical cases and religious beliefs are exempt - but no doubt, it is a major step with the Delta variant spreading so quickly among children. There is no timeline for implementation yet, but it's the first of its kind in Northern California. The Los Angeles Unified School District implemented a vaccine mandate for students earlier this year. ABC7 News Read more
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One Bay Area County Is Approaching 100% Of Eligible Residents With One COVID Vaccine Dose
Marin County has marked a new pandemic-fighting milestone, with more than 90% of its eligible population now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to county data, 90.7% of residents 12 and older were fully vaccinated as of Monday. A whopping 97.3% of Marin’s eligible population has received at least one vaccine dose. Among its total population, Marin’s rate of completed vaccinations is 78%, with 84% partially vaccinated. SF Chronicle Read more
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Berkeley Enacts COVID Vaccine Mandate For City Workers
Workers have until Nov. 15 to get vaccinated, unless they can claim a medical or religious exemption from the requirement. The city of Berkeley has set a deadline for workers who are still not vaccinated against COVID-19 to get protected, or - with limited exceptions - potentially lose their jobs. After weeks of discussion with labor groups, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley announced in an email to employees late Monday that Berkeley has enacted a new policy requiring that workers be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15. Berkleyside Read more
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San Francisco International Airport Implements Vaccination Requirement For All Workers
All workers at San Francisco International Airport must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to new rules announced by city officials on Tuesday. The requirement which goes into effect immediately, applies to all airline, service, concession and construction employees. Officials said SFO is the first airport in the U.S. to implement a vaccine requirement. Under the new rules, every airport tenant or contractor must require all on-site personnel to be fully vaccinated. Exemptions can be granted for medical disability or a sincerely held religious belief, but employees who receive exemptions must undergo weekly testing. KPIX5 Read more
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A "Huge Relief" For Bay Area Parents As Pfizer Says COVID Vaccine Is Safe For Kids 5 To 11
The Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been shown to be safe and highly effective in young children ages 5 to 11, the companies announced Monday. The news sets the stage for authorization of the vaccine for younger children, possibly before the end of October. Renee and Miguel Chavez, who enrolled their children in the Pfizer vaccine trial for elementary school-age kids at Stanford, said the news was a “huge relief.” “Like any parent, we want to do anything we can to protect our kids,” said Renee Chavez, who works as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. “I know masks work. However, vaccines are the gold standard for getting people protected. Now it’s great that the data is there.” SF Chronicle Read more
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Tahoe-Area Ski Resorts Ease COVID-19 Restrictions
Some of the larger Lake Tahoe-area ski resorts will be easing coronavirus-related restrictions this upcoming season. At Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood, skiers and snowboarders will not need to make reservations, lifts and gondolas will operate at normal capacity, and masks will only be required indoors. Anyone 12 and up will have to show proof of vaccination to eat indoors at the lodges on the mountains. The current policies could change depending on the state of COVID-19 during the winter months. NBC Bay Area Read more
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Bay Area Veterinarian Offices See Increased Demand During Pandemic
The wait time to see a veterinarian is a bit longer these days. The COVID-19 effect is one reason. However, trying to schedule an appointment with the vet may be a problem long after the pandemic. If the wait time to see your local veterinarian seems a lot longer than usual, it is not your imagination, there are several reasons. “We know that we had more people bringing pets into their households during the pandemic,” Contra Costa Animal Spokesperson Steve Burdo said. KRON4 Read more
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Two Dose Version Of Johnson & Johnson Shot 94% Effective Against COVID-19, Study Finds
A two-dose version of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine provides 94% protection against symptomatic infection, the company said Tuesday - making a two-dose regimen of J&J's Janssen vaccine comparable to a two-dose regimen of Moderna's or Pfizer's. Plus, the company said, adding a booster dose to a single shot of the vaccine raised immunity even more, and should also protect people strongly against infection. The company released some details of three studies looking at various aspects of its Janssen vaccine, and said that, taken together, they showed the vaccine provided long-lasting protection that could be boosted with an extra shot. CNN Read more
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FDA-approved COVID Vaccine For Kids Ages 5 to 11 "Very Feasible" By Halloween, Says Former FDA Commissioner
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan told CNBC that it seems realistic that younger kids will be getting vaccinated for COVID-19 based on the new data released by Pfizer on Monday. “Those findings are very promising, especially around the ability of a very small dose, leading to a very strong immune reaction,” said McClellan, a health policy expert with Duke University. “So it’s good that that’s panning out and action by the FDA in a month seems very feasible.” CNBC Read more
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Conservative Baptist Pastor Sees “No Credible Religious Argument” Against Vaccines
The Biden administration recently announced a widespread vaccine mandate. While the guidelines will encourage more federal workers and health care staff to seek the shots, they’ve also pushed some of the last vaccine holdouts to seek religious exemptions, whether or not they actually needed them. But these objectors might run into some unexpected trouble - some big-name church leaders are not signing off on the exemptions. Several prominent church leaders recently announced that they weren’t granting exemptions, nor did they think their faiths were incompatible with the vaccine. Mother Jones Read more
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U.S. Racial Vaccine Gaps Are Bigger Than We Thought
The White vaccination rate is not as bad as it had seemed, and Hispanic communities are lagging more than previously thought. Updated city and state population figures from the 2020 U.S. Census released last month gave a clearer picture of the country's racial and ethnic makeup. In every state, the White-only share of population was smaller than projected, and, as a result, a larger percentage of White people in many places have received shots than previously reported. Bloomberg Read more
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Pressure Grows On U.S. Companies to Share COVID Vaccine Technology
As President Biden convened heads of state for a COVID-19 summit on Wednesday, pressure is growing on American drug companies - particularly Moderna, the upstart biotech firm that developed its coronavirus vaccine with billions of dollars in taxpayer money - to share their formulas with manufacturers in nations that desperately need more shots. NY Times Read more
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COVID-19 Death Rate More Than 4 Times Higher In Least Vaccinated States Than In Most Vaccinated
The average rate of COVID-19 deaths in the 10 least vaccinated states was more than four times higher over the past week than the rate in the 10 most vaccinated states, according to a CNN analysis.
In the least vaccinated states, roughly eight people out of every 100,000 residents died of COVID-19 over the past week, compared with only about two out of every 100,000 people in the 10 most vaccinated states. CNN Read more
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State/National/International News |
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COVID Has Killed About As Many Americans As The 1918-19 Flu
COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic did - approximately 675,000. The U.S. population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the COVID-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time. ABC News
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Who’s Dying In California From COVID-19?
It’s been longer than a year and a half since COVID-19 first arrived in California, and the demographics of who is dying from the virus are changing. So far, 67,628 people have died in California during the pandemic, more than in any other state. In recent months, those who are dying are younger on average. And, unsurprisingly, people of color are still among the most devastated by COVID-19, with the highest death rates among Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and Black people. CalMatters Read more
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Big Demand Makes COVID-Fighting Antibodies Hard To Get In California
Health officials in California are warning of shortages and distribution problems for a medical treatment that can keep COVID-19 patients from falling critically ill. Monoclonal antibodies have been developed as a treatment for COVID-19. They are thought to be a way to counteract the coronavirus before it can begin destroying the body’s organs, said Dr. Rais Vohra, the interim Fresno County health officer. The antibodies can be used to treat mild or moderate COVID-19 in patients who are not hospitalized. LA Times
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American Samoa, One Of The Last Places Without Coronavirus, Has First Infection
American Samoa reported its first coronavirus case, 18 months into the pandemic, after a traveler tested positive after flying to the U.S. territory from Hawaii. The positive case was discovered during a quarantine period required upon arrival in American Samoa. The traveler was fully vaccinated, according to a news release published Friday by American Samoa’s Department of Homeland Security, and the positive result was confirmed by the Health Department Thursday. Officials say the individual tested negative before traveling. The traveler was asymptomatic when tested, according to the news release, and will continue to be monitored. The Washington Post Read more
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U.S. To Ease Travel Restrictions For Foreign Visitors Who Are Vaccinated Against COVID
The U.S. will ease travel restrictions for international visitors who are vaccinated against COVID-19 in November, including those from the U.K. and EU, the White House said Monday. Noncitizens visiting the United States will have to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test taken within three days of departure, said Jeff Zients, who is leading the nation’s COVID response efforts for the White House. The changes will take effect in early November, which the airline industry expects will spur holiday bookings. CNBC Read more
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A Nurse's Training Didn't Protect Her From Vaccine Misinformation - Now She's One Of The Victims Of COVID-19
Natalie Rise was a registered nurse in Idaho who loved her job as a home health care worker before she decided to stay at home with her special-needs twins, according to her brother, Daryl Rise. But her science-based training to become an RN was apparently no match for the disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines being shared across social media, according to her brother. Rise refused to be vaccinated, even as the virus surged in her city, Coeur d'Alene. And even as her mother lay in a coma in a hospital bed, fighting for life against Covid, Natalie advised her family against being vaccinated. CNN Read more
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A Third Of U.S. Small Businesses Have Reinstated COVID-19 Restrictions, Survey Finds
A third of small business owners across the U.S. have voluntarily reinstated pandemic restrictions during the latest surge in COVID-10 cases, new data show. That's a big change from as early as May, when 85% of small businesses were fully open, as infections subsided and government-mandated rules for businesses lifted. But by August that figure had dropped to 63%, according to a survey. CBS News
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Schools have largely reopened this fall, but life is far from normal for parents of young children. One reason is that child care - for children too young for school, and for the hours before and after school - is operating at 88 percent of its prepandemic capacity. Even before the pandemic, child care did not cover everyone who needed it. The shortage is partly because of the pandemic. Some centers went out of business after lockdowns early on, and others are limiting enrollment. NY Times Read more
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 571,134
California: 4,656,306
U.S.: 42,487,004
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 2,319,396
Cases: 113,742
Deaths: 1,330
Test Positivity: 1.9%
Hospitalized Patients: 195
ICU Beds Available: 93
Cases have decreased recently but are still very high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also fallen in the Alameda County area. Deaths have remained about the same level. The test positivity rate in Alameda County is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is adequate for evaluating COVID spread in the area. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 6,282
California: 68,196
U.S.: 680,166
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,641,561
Cases: 94,701
Deaths: 921
Test Positivity: 2.9%
Hospitalized Patients: 133
ICU Beds Available: 35
Cases have decreased recently but are still very high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Contra Costa County area have also fallen. The test positivity rate in Contra Costa County is relatively low, suggesting that testing capacity is adequate for evaluating COVID-19 spread in the area. NY Times
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How The Definition Of Success Has Changed In COVID Fight
In the early days of the pandemic, experts kept a close watch on the number of new cases - one of the key metrics signaling success or failure of public health measures. But with new variants leading to more frequent breakthrough infections, mild COVID-19 cases will likely still persist, even if every person in the country is fully vaccinated. "Even before any vaccines were authorized ... we knew that this was going to be an issue," said Dr. Lynn Goldman, dean of the George Washington University's Milken Institute of Public Health. 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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Over past week, Alameda County has averaged 205 new cases and 0.7 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 183 new cases and 2.3 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 9/22/21
Oakland: 36,092
Hayward: 16,621
Fremont: 10,018
Eden MAC: 7,255
San Leandro: 7,062
Livermore: 6.072
Union City: 4,887
Berkeley: 4,816
Castro Valley: 3,498
Newark: 3,350
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 9/22/21
Richmond: 14,577
Antioch: 13,885
Concord: 10,648
Pittsburg: 9,103
San Pablo: 6,353
Brentwood: 5,870
Oakley: 4,951
Walnut Creek: 4,050
Bay Point: 3,628
San Ramon: 3,023
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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 Varsha Chauhan. 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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