COVID-19
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How The Bay Area Is Prepping For The Big COVID-19 Booster Rollout
Bay Area hospitals, elder care facilities and pharmacies are preparing to offer COVID-19 booster shots later this month, once federal authorities give full approval. The exact date of the long-anticipated rollout remains uncertain - the Biden Administration had originally set the week of Sept. 20 for the launch - but high-risk Americans are likely to be offered the Pfizer shot within the next two weeks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will vote on the shots next Friday. The Centers for Disease Control has not yet set a date. The wait shouldn’t cause worry for most of us. While our immunity has waned in recent months, it hasn’t dropped precipitously - and vaccines we’ve received are still highly protective against severe illness and death. Mercury News Read more
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S.F. Schools Report No COVID Outbreaks, Even As Delta Overwhelms Districts Elsewhere
No COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in San Francisco schools since they reopened to in-person learning in mid-August, and case rates have remained steady among young children in recent months, even as the highly contagious delta variant has spread, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Public Health. The San Francisco numbers defy national trends that have shown large rises in cases and hospitalizations among school-age children overall during the Delta surge. SF Chronicle Read more
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Tree Planting Memorial to Honor COVID Victims and Survivors This Wednesday
A Tree Planting Memorial to honor those who lost their lives to COVID-19 and those who fought and survived is being held at Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area (front yard), located at 2800 Benedict Drive in San Leandro, on Wednesday, September 15, from 3-4 p.m.
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Some Bay Area Hospitals Return COVID Test Results Within An Hour
Two weeks ago, a 68-year-old man came into a Fairfield emergency room complaining of body aches that’d been bothering him for four days. Hospital staff swabbed his nose and processed the sample immediately on-site, using a machine that confirmed within the hour that the man was positive for the coronavirus. The fast results let doctors know that the patient - who also had diabetes and heart disease - was a good candidate for monoclonal antibodies, an intravenous treatment for high-risk COVID patients that works best when given within the first week of symptoms. SF Chronicle Read more
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"Everything Has A Cost": More Bay Area Restaurants Are Closing For Mental Health Breaks
In late July, Peterson Harter, feeling burned out, shut down his San Francisco sandwich pop-up Sandy’s for a weekend. That one weekend turned into three as he slipped into a deep depression. His couch felt like a pool of quicksand, pulling him into a dark place where something as simple as brushing his teeth or picking up a phone call from his best friend felt insurmountable. The weight of the last year-plus - the pandemic capsizing all sense of normalcy, losing his restaurant job, throwing himself into baking bread 18 hours a day to survive - collapsed on him. SF Chronicle Read more
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BinaxNow vs. Ellume: Why One Rapid COVID Test Seems To Be Sold Out Everywhere In Bay Area
Rapid at-home antigen tests have become convenient tools for people hoping to quickly determine whether their cold symptoms are COVID-19. But the tests, which are not as accurate as PCR lab tests but return results in far less time, can be hard to find in the Bay Area. The two at-home tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration are Abbott Laboratories' BinaxNow and Ellume’s COVID-19 home test. But at least in the Bay Area, it’s challenging to find a drugstore that isn’t sold out of BinaxNow, though Ellume is far easier to get. SF Chronicle Read more
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Hayward City Hall And Most In-Person Customer Services Being Restored To Full-Time Operation Sept. 13
Effective Monday, Sept. 13, Hayward City Hall is restoring regular operating hours and most in-person resident and customer service operations from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Monday through Friday. The resumption of regular City Hall operations-which had been suspended, curtailed, or moved online and to telephone - only due to COVID-19 - is taking place in compliance with Alameda County public health orders and California workplace safety guidelines. City of Hayward Read more
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Pop-Up COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic At Oakland Zoo
Sept. 30 and Oct. 21, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Receive your free COVID-19 vaccine at Oakland Zoo’s pop-up clinic (in the Zimmer Auditorium) and get a free Oakland Zoo Family Pass, good for a one-day admission for 2 adults and 2 children, plus free parking for one vehicle (a $98 value). You may use your pass the day of your shot, or at a future date of your choice. The event is presented by Presented by Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, Carbon Health, & Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley. Oakland Zoo
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Moderna Turns To Biotech Startup To Ramp Up COVID Vaccine Manufacturing
Moderna will turn to a biotech startup, National Resilience, to manufacture additional doses of its COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna had previously said it would manufacture 800 million to 1 billion doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in 2021, ramping up to 3 billion doses in 2022. A person familiar with the company said the collaboration might result in hundreds of millions more doses. Currently, the vaccine is given as a two-dose series, though Moderna has said at least some patients may need a third dose given many months later. STAT Read more
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Unvaccinated People 11 Times More Likely To Die Of COVID-19, CDC Report Finds
People who were not fully vaccinated this spring and summer were over 10 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 11 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those who were fully vaccinated, according to one of three major studies published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that highlight the continued efficacy of all three vaccines amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. A second study showed the Moderna coronavirus vaccine was moderately more effective in preventing hospitalizations than its counterparts from Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson. That assessment was based on the largest U.S. study to date of the real-world effectiveness of all three vaccines, involving about 32,000 patients seen in hospitals, emergency departments and urgent care clinics across nine states from June through early August. Washington Post Read more
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The F.D.A. Again Warns Parents Not To Get Children Under 12 Vaccinated Yet
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is “working around the clock” to make COVID vaccines available to young children, it said in a statement on Friday. In the meantime, however, the agency urged parents not to seek out the shots for children who are under 12, and therefore not yet eligible for vaccination. The agency said that it hoped vaccines would be available for young children “in the coming months,” but that it could not offer a more specific timeline. New York Times Read more
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98 Percent of "Highly Allergic" People Have No Reaction After COVID-19 Vaccination
Allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines are rare, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. This large, prospective study involved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, one of three COVID-19 vaccines currently in use in the United States. “We assume that these lessons will be generalizable to the Moderna and other mRNA vaccines with similar excipients and constructs,” Dr. Elizabeth J. Phillips, a professor in the department of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, said. The researchers gathered data from December 27, 2020 to February 22, 2021 at Sheba Medical Center in Israel. More than 8,000 people with allergies went through risk assessment using an algorithm that included a detailed questionnaire.
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You Are Invited To Our Wedding Kindly Tell Us Your Vaccination Status
Asking wedding guests to leave their children at home used to be among the thornier requests a couple could make. Now, COVID precautions are adding more-sensitive appeals to wedding invitations. Tucked inside embossed envelopes that include dinner choices and directions to the reception, are also politely worded notes telling guests they must be vaccinated, get a COVID test or do both, according to wedding planners. NY Times Read more
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3 States Have Fully Vaccinated More Than 2/3 Of Residents
New data shows 26 states have fully vaccinated more than half their residents, and those with the highest vaccination rates have among the lowest COVID-19 cases. Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts have fully vaccinated at least two-thirds of their population, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those three states also have among the lowest new COVID-19 cases per capita over the past week, CDC data shows. CNN Read more
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State/National/International News |
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California Democrats Considering More COVID Vaccine Rules On Top Of Biden Order
California Democrats said they would consider stronger vaccine mandates than what President Joe Biden announced Thursday if infection rates don’t decline and if outbreaks continue in schools over the next several months. Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, said Thursday that she would consider writing legislation to bolster Biden's order once lawmakers return to Sacramento in January. The 2021 session ends Friday, and Wicks said she wants to see if the new federal rules decrease infections over the fall and winter before deciding if California should “backfill” any gaps with legislation of its own. Sacramento Bee Read more
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"I Shouldn't Have Waited": Unvaccinated TikToker Urges Followers To Get Vaccinated In Last Video Before Death
In her final TikTok video before her death, Megan Alexandra Blankenbiller encouraged her thousands of followers to get vaccinated as she fought COVID-19 from a hospital. "I don't have a lot of energy for talking, so I'm going to try and make this quick. I'm going to be taking a couple of breaks," Blankenbiller said in the Aug. 15 video, which has been viewed more than 850,000 times. NBC News Read more
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The family of a Cullman man who died of heart issues in Mississippi is asking people to get vaccinated for COVID after 43 hospitals across three states were unable to accept him because of full cardiac ICUs. Ray Martin DeMonia died on Sept. 1 in Meridian, Mississippi. He was three days shy of his 74th birthday and a well-known Cullman native, his family said. DeMonia suffered from a cardiac event, and emergency staff at Cullman Regional Medical Center had to bring him to the nearest available bed, which was nearly 200 miles away at Rush Foundation Hospital. Daily Kos Read more
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ECMO Life Support Is A Last Resort for COVID, And In Short Supply In South
Hospital discharge day for Phoua Yang was more like a pep rally. On her way rolling out of TriStar Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, she teared up as streamers and confetti rained down on her. Nurses chanted her name as they wheeled her out of the hospital for the first time since she arrived in February with COVID-19, barely able to breathe. The 38-year-old mother is living proof of the power of ECMO - a method of oxygenating a patient’s blood outside the body, then pumping it back in. Her story helps explain why a shortage of trained staff members who can run the machines that perform this extracorporeal membrane oxygenation has become such a pinch point as COVID hospitalizations surge. Kaiser Health News Read more
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TSA To Double Minimum Fines For Travelers Who Refuse To Wear Masks To $500
Travelers who refuse to wear masks could soon face fines of up to $3,000. The Transportation Security Administration on Thursday said it is doubling fines for travelers who won’t follow a federal mask mandate for air, bus and other forms of transportation. Minimum fines will double, starting at $500, and go up to $3,000 for repeat offenders. The Biden administration last month extended the federal mask mandate for air, bus and train travel through Jan. 18 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 as infections surged around the country. It had been set to expire in mid-September. CNBC
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Breakthrough Infections: Four Factors That Increase The Risk Of Vaccinated People Getting COVID
Two weeks after your second COVID-19 vaccine dose, the protective effects of vaccination will be at their highest. At this point, you’re fully vaccinated. If you still get COVID-19 after this point, you’ve suffered a “breakthrough” infection. Broadly speaking, breakthrough infections are similar to regular COVID-19 infections in unvaccinated people - but there are some differences. SciTechDaily Read more
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Delta Air Lines’ $200 Per Month Experiment For Changing Unvaccinated Employees’ Minds Seems To Be Working
In the two weeks since Delta Air Lines announced a $200 monthly health insurance surcharge for unvaccinated employees, 20% of Delta’s unvaccinated employees have already gotten the jab, Dr. Henry Ting, Delta’s chief health officer, said in an Infectious Disease Society of America briefing Thursday. “I think [that’s] a huge number in terms of shifting that group that’s most reluctant,” he said. CNBC Read more
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 561,036
California: 4,472,759
U.S.: 40,956,729
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 2,289,490
Cases: 111,128
Deaths: 1,319
Test Positivity: 2.4%
Hospitalized Patients: 207
ICU Beds Available: 86
Cases have decreased recently but are still very high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have remained at 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: 6,682
California: 67,100
U.S.: 659,985
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,615,917
Cases: 92,952
Deaths: 906
Test Positivity: 3.5%
Hospitalized Patients: 169
ICU Beds Available: 43
Cases have decreased recently but are still very high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Contra Costa County area have remained at about the same level. The test positivity rate in Contra Costa County is high, suggesting that cases may be undercounted. NY Times
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Coronavirus FAQs: A Vaccinated Person's Guide To COVID Exposure And Elevator Etiquette
Each week, NPR answers frequently questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like them to consider for a future post, email goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions."
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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 254 new cases and 1.1 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 236 new cases and 2.4 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 9/12/21
Oakland: 35,401
Hayward: 16,255
Fremont: 9,753
Eden MAC: 7,108
San Leandro: 6,904
Livermore: 5,878
Union City: 4,790
Berkeley: 4,731
Castro Valley: 3,402
Newark: 3,273
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 9/12/21
Richmond: 14,398
Antioch: 13,644
Concord: 10,461
Pittsburg: 8,942
San Pablo: 6,296
Brentwood: 5,751
Oakley: 4,827
Walnut Creek: 3,953
Bay Point: 3,583
San Ramon: 2,951
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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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