COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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Looking For a Vaccine This Week in The East Bay?
Here's Where to Find Them
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, is trying to make it easier for her constituents of color to get vaccinated. On Saturday, the legislator announced a coronavirus vaccine campaign in her East Bay district from May 1 to 8. In coordination with a national effort led by the Congressional Black Caucus as well as faith-based and health organizations, the goal is to make vaccines widely available to underserved communities, with clinic locations throughout the East Bay district. SF Chronicle Read more
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AC Transit Vaccine Shuttle Resumes For One Week, Beginning Today
The AC Transit Vaccine Shuttle will be reactivated for one week only, with service resuming on Monday, May 3 and concluding Sunday, May 9. The shuttle will run from Coliseum BART to the Oakland Coliseum COVID-19 vaccination site, running every 15 minutes between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Get details
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Here's When Kids Age 12-15 Might Get Vaccinated in The Bay Area
The first coronavirus vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds is expected to receive federal approval in May, and public health and school officials are preparing for how best to reach this young group and persuade kids - and their parents - to get the shots. Pfizer filed its formal request for vaccine authorization in this age group two weeks ago. Public health experts anticipate the Food and Drug Administration will approve it, though the exact timing is not known. Moderna is expected to file for authorization for the same age group soon. Thus, two vaccines may be available for children 12 and older by the end of summer. SF Chronicle Read more
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New COVID Outbreaks Are Walloping Oregon and Washington
Should The Bay Area Be Worried?
With rapidly falling case counts and hospitalizations, California may be speeding toward its June 15 reopening target date. But the story is different in the Pacific Northwest, where Oregon and Washington are being walloped by a fourth surge of the pandemic. New COVID-19 cases have been rising about 20% each week in Oregon for the past five weeks. Gov. Kate Brown has put 15 of the state’s most populous counties into the “extreme risk” category, triggering a fresh wave of shutdowns on Friday that includes banning indoor restaurant dining. SF Chronicle Read more
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There's a Small Pocket of The Bay Area Where 99% of Adults Are Vaccinated
Public health officials continue to urge - even plead with - people to get the coronavirus vaccine. In two Bay Area ZIP codes, there's no convincing needed. Nearly every single resident over the age of 16 has already gotten at least one dose. The first ZIP code is 94707 in North Berkeley, where about 98.8% of the over-16 population has gotten at least one dose. About 72%, or 7,130 people, have been fully vaccinated. ABC7 News Read more
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These Vaccine "Fairies" Have Booked Hundreds of Shots For Bay Area Essential Workers
As he cleaned and repaired pools across South Bay backyards this spring, Mauricio Lopez spoke almost daily with his employees about getting COVID-19 vaccines. Lopez’s brother and co-owner of Ernie’s Pool and Spa, Rene, died from the virus on Feb. 10th. His death was a “wake-up” call for the other two dozen workers - mostly fellow immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala - to get their shots, Mauricio Lopez said. Mercury News Read more
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Walk-Ins Welcome as Rite Aid Expands COVID Shots to All Stores
Pharmacy chain Rite Aid, which operates in 17 states, announced Friday that it is now offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments at all of its U.S. locations as part of the federal government’s retail partnership program; appointments had previously been available only at select Rite Aid locations. Rite Aid, which has more than 500 stores in California, said no appointment would be necessary in some cases, allowing consumers to walk in and get the jab. But the company recommended making an appointment to ensure availability and avoid waiting in line. Sacramento Bee Read more
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Government Rolls Out New Ways to Find COVID-19 Vaccine With Website, Text Messaging Service
As the Biden administration continues to reach out to Americans who remain unvaccinated, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are launching a text messaging service, website and toll-free hotline to make the search easier, accurate and accessible. Part of the effort includes taking over the popular VaccineFinder.org as a government site to make finding a vaccination location less time-consuming. Some of the features resulting from this launch include assistance provided in more than 150 languages for the hotline number to immediately find the nearest available vaccination centers. ABC News Read more
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Moderna Beefs Up COVID-19 Vaccine Manufacturing For 2021-22
Moderna announced Thursday it is beefing up global manufacturing of its COVID-19 vaccine in an effort to produce up to 3 billion doses in 2022. The company predicts supplying between 800 million and 1 billion doses worldwide this year. But it’s looking ahead as much of the world still will need a first round of COVID-19 vaccinations next year - and to be ready if and when people may need a booster shot. KRON4 Read more
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Pfizer, Moderna COVID Vaccines 94% Effective at Preventing Hospitalizations in Elderly, CDC Study Shows
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are 94% effective at preventing hospitalizations among fully vaccinated adults ages 65 and older, according to a real-world study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The two-dose mRNA vaccines were also found in the study to be 64% effective at preventing hospitalizations in the elderly who received just one shot. The study evaluated 417 hospitalized adults across 14 states from January to March. The U.S. agency said the findings were consistent with those found in clinical trials. CNBC Read more
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As Vaccine Demand Slows, Doctors Shift to "Microtargeting" Vulnerable Communities
Some vaccine providers are shifting their focus from mass vaccination sites to “microtargeting,” like taking vaccines to a smaller site near a community hub where people can easily walk up to receive a shot, using a van to bring vaccinations to an apartment complex, or even offering vaccines outside a nightclub. NBC News Read more
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Coronavirus Vaccines Aren’t Perfect But They’re Still Very, Very Effective
A rising number of people who’ve been vaccinated are getting infected with the coronavirus. But is that surprising, and should it be cause for concern? The short answer, according to local researchers: No.
The rate of infection among the immunized has been extremely low, with COVID-19 hospitalization and death even less likely. The San Diego Union-Tribune Read more
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Can't Help Falling In Love With A Vaccine: How Polio Campaign Beat Vaccine Hesitancy
The mass inoculation of millions of American children against polio in 1955, like the vaccinations of millions of American adults against COVID-19 in 2021, was a triumph of science. But the polio vaccine had overwhelming public acceptance, while stubborn pockets of vaccine hesitancy persist across the U.S. for the COVID-19 vaccine. Why the difference? One reason, historians say, is that in 1955, many Americans had an especially deep respect for science. NPR Read more
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Vax Live: Prince Harry Makes Vaccine Plea At Concert In LA
Prince Harry appeared alongside dozens of celebrities at the Vax Live event, a charity performance in aid of the international COVID vaccination effort. Hosted by the singer Selena Gomez, the concert - to be aired on Saturday - featured performances from artists Jennifer Lopez and Foo Fighters. U.S. President Joe Biden also spoke. The event raised $53.8 million for Covax, which is working to ensure vaccines are shared fairly among all nations, right and poor . BBC Read more
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Vaccine Resources
Food Pantries
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 436,348
California: 3,744,939
U.S.: 32,424,024
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 1,503,316
Cases: 86,080
Deaths: 1,519
Test Positivity: 1.0%
Hospitalized Patients: 111
ICU Beds Available: 117
Cases have stayed about the same over the past week and are still high, The number of hospitalized COVID patients has fallen in the Alameda County area. Deaths 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-19 spread in the area. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 6,287
California: 61,939
U.S.: 577,054
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 1,096,536
Cases: 68,115
Deaths: 783
Test Positivity: 1.4%
Hospitalized Patients: 44
ICU Beds Available: 52
Cases have decreased over the past week but are still high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Contra Costa area have risen. 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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State/National/International News |
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Younger Californians Have Lowest Vaccination Rate, Sparking Concern
As the Bay Area pushes toward community immunity from COVID-19, experts worry that the region could be held back by younger people whose vaccination rates so far trail other groups. Multiple Bay Area counties, including Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda, report that fewer people in their teens, 20s and 30s have received shots than their older counterparts. Although just two weeks have passed since all Californians 16 and up became eligible, local officials and epidemiologists warn that the lower rates - coupled with an overall slowing in demand - could seed ongoing outbreaks in the region as the economy fully reopens. Mercury News Read more
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The Risks Unvaccinated Americans Are Weighing
Why Some Americans Don’t Want The Vaccine, And What Would Change Their Minds
Joshua Smith, an 18-year-old former high school baseball player who beat the coronavirus back in May, doesn't particularly fear it, but he does fear side effects from the vaccine - and he doesn't trust most sources that tell him otherwise. What he does trust is what he sees around him, which is why Smith's decision not to get a vaccine isn't set in stone. "I won't say that I won't," he told ABC News. But he wants to see firsthand that the vaccine "is really helping and people had good reviews on it."
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COVID-19 Vaccine Myths: These Reasons For Not Getting a Shot Don’t Hold Up - In Fact, They’ll Set The U.S. Back
Americans have an easy way to crush COVID-19 - one that would let businesses fully reopen safely, ditch the need for social distancing and restore a mask-free return to normalcy. But many Americans don’t want to get vaccinated as myths and misunderstandings spread. “Facebook runs a survey every day … and that’s shown that vaccine confidence in the U.S. has been slowly but steadily going down since February,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “We were at 75% of adults saying they wanted the vaccine. Now we’re down to, in those surveys, about 67%.” Mercury News Read more
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Dodger Stadium Vaccine Site to Close Amid Demand Slowdown
In another sign of slowing demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, Los Angeles city officials announced on Friday that the mass vaccination site at Dodger Stadium - one of the largest in the country - will cease operations by the end of May, as part of a major shift to increase appointment-free vaccine availability at other city-run sites. The pending closure comes amid a broader slowdown in demand across the region and country, a trend that is concerning public health officials. LA Times Read more
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WHO: More Global COVID-19 Cases Reported In Last 2 Weeks Than In First 6 Months of Pandemic
The number of global coronavirus cases reported in the last two weeks eclipses the first six months of the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday. It underscores the severity of the current wave of infections in India, which surpassed 400,000 cases for the first time over the weekend, as well as a record-high number of deaths. Axios Read more
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Doctors More Likely to Prescribe Opioids to COVID "Long Haulers," Raising Addiction Fears
COVID survivors are at risk from a separate epidemic of opioid addiction, given the high rate of painkillers being prescribed to these patients, health experts say. A new study in Nature found alarmingly high rates of opioid use among COVID survivors with lingering symptoms at Veterans Health Administration facilities. About 10% of COVID survivors develop “long COVID,” struggling with often disabling health problems even six months or longer after a diagnosis. Kaiser Health News Read more
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The Vulnerable Homebound Are Left Behind on Vaccination
It was April, more than three months into the vaccination campaign against COVID-19, and Jim Freeman, 83, still had not gotten his first dose. Freeman had been eligible for months as part of the 75-and-older target group deemed most vulnerable to death and serious illness in the pandemic. But he could not leave his home to make the journey to one of the mass-vaccination sites in San Mateo County. Freeman, who has Parkinson’s disease, has extremely limited mobility and no longer can walk. Kaiser Health News Read more
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Disneyland Reopening Highlights California's COVID Turnaround
Disneyland swung open its gates to cheering visitors donning sequined Minnie Mouse ears and snapping selfies Friday, marking a dramatic turnaround in a state so overwhelmed with coronavirus cases just four months ago that patients were being treated in outdoor tents. California's world-famous theme park, which reopened after an unprecedented 13-month closure, is admitting only state residents and operating under a limited capacity for now. KTVU Read more
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The U.S. Will Start Restricting Travel From India on Tuesday, The White House Says
The Biden administration said on Friday that it would begin restricting travel to the United States from India, where a devastating coronavirus outbreak is claiming over 3,000 lives each day. The travel restrictions will not apply to citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States, their spouses or minor children or siblings, or to the parents of citizens or lawful permanent residents who are younger than 21 years old. NY Times Read more
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The T.S.A. Extends Its Mask Mandate On U.S. Transportation Through Mid-September
The Transportation Security Administration extended a mandate Friday that requires travelers to wear masks at airports, on airplanes and on commuter bus and rail systems, through Sept. 13. The mandate was set to expire on May 11. NY Times Read more
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For Olympic host cities, one of the keys to a successful Games is the army of volunteers who cheerfully perform a range of duties, like fetching water, driving Olympic vehicles, interpreting for athletes or carrying medals to ceremonies. NY Times Read more
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Here Are Scenarios in Which Vaccinated People Still Need to Get COVID Tests
As more and more people get vaccinated, it’s not always clear when someone should get a COVID-19 test, or how testing will continue to play a part in our lives. But even as the percentage of vaccinated people rises each day, huge parts of the population - including children and adolescents - are not inoculated. That means access to reliable coronavirus tests will remain critical for the foreseeable future. SF Chronicle Read more
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- COVID-19 testing is a good idea, but keep in mind, people who test negative can still harbor the virus if they are early in their infection.
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A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
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An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.
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Over the last seven days, Alameda County officials have reported 399 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 24 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 528 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 47 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 5/2//21
Oakland: 26,807
Hayward: 13,372
Fremont: 7,780
Eden MAC: 5,829
San Leandro: 5,341
Livermore: 4,198
Union City: 3,929
Berkeley: 3,570
Newark: 2,723
Castro Valley: 2,515
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 5/2/21
Richmond: 10,250
Antioch: 9,441
Concord: 7,963
Pittsburg: 6,743
San Pablo: 5,194
Brentwood: 3,756
Oakley: 3,154
Bay Point: 2,744
Walnut Creek: 2,838
San Ramon: 2,066
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Mask On!
Protect Yourself While Protecting Others
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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 in the Eden Health District area. These posters are free of charge and intended for businesses, health clinics, schools, churches, public agencies and nonprofit agencies to display in their entrances. The posters are available in English, Spanish and Chinese languages. The public is welcome to download and print or share "Mask On" posters from our website. |
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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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