COVID-19
breaking news & updates
|
|
|
Bulletin Publication Schedule For Next Week
Due to the Labor Day holiday, the COVID-19 Bulletin will be published only once next week, on Wednesday, September 7.
|
|
|
Reminder: CDC To Suspend Free At-Home COVID Test Program This Friday
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop mailing free at-home COVID tests due to lack of congressional funding, the agency said Sunday. The White House and the CDC told CNN that in the absence of funding, there’s a need to preserve supply for an expected surge in COVID-19 cases this fall, so the program will be suspended on Friday. “Ordering through this program will be suspended on Friday, September 2, because Congress hasn’t provided additional funding to replenish the nation’s stockpile of tests,” reads the CDC website. Press Democrat Read more
|
|
|
COVID Test Resources
Food Pantries
|
|
|
United Seniors of Oakland And Alameda County Health Presentation/Pandemic Update
Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO of Roots Community Health Center, and Dr. Nicholas Moss, Alameda County Health Officer, will share the latest local news on the COVID-19 pandemic and the new Monkeypox virus on Friday, September 2, from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Join the meeting on Zoom. (Meeting ID: 876 7631 1612) Please contact the United Seniors of Oakland and Alameda County (USOAC) office at (510) 729-0852 for more information.
|
|
|
Excessive Heat Watch Issued For Castro Valley, East Bay
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for most of the Bay Area including Alameda County. The heat watch will be in effect from 11 a.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Tuesday. Temperatures are expected to warm later this week and top out over 100 degrees Saturday through Monday in the interior East Bay. Livermore is expected to set records on Sunday and Monday. In Castro Valley the heat will peak on Monday at 90. Castro Valley Patch Read more
|
|
|
San Francisco Tops 1,000 COVID Deaths
San Francisco health officials reported 26 additional COVID-19 deaths last week, pushing the tally of confirmed coronavirus-related fatalities to over 1,000 since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. While the city has fared better than other regions due to its high vaccination rates and adherence to masking and other precautionary measures, it became a virus hotspot during the summer BA.5 Omicron surge, recording a near-record number of infections. SF Chronicle Read more
|
|
|
COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
|
What You Need To Know About Fall Booster Shots Of Coronavirus Vaccine
New coronavirus boosters are just around the corner following authorization Wednesday by federal regulators. The updated shots are designed to provide a stronger shield against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants still causing tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths every day in the United States. The boosters will be part of a campaign by the federal government, to be kicked off within days, to persuade Americans to bolster their immune defenses before a potential surge in COVID-19 cases as cooler weather arrives in the fall. The new boosters, which are intended as single shots, will be available at the same places where the previous boosters and vaccines have been available — at doctors offices, hospitals, pharmacies and community health clinics. Washington Post Read more
|
|
|
Pediatric Cases Rise As Biden Administration Prepares For Rollout Of New COVID Vaccine Boosters
New data shows pediatric infection rates are back on the rise nationally. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports nearly 87,000 new cases, a 9% increase over the previous week. "I think the most important thing to remember is that there is still a huge amount of COVID circulating in the community," Ben-Aderet said. The FDA is expected to authorize Pfizer and Moderna's new bivalent booster shots. Advisors with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are set to meet today, Sept. 1.
|
|
|
Fall Vaccination Campaign Will Bring New Shots, Worse Access
Long past the point when pollsters said there were no more Americans willing to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, Coral Garner kept finding them. An organizer of mobile clinics for the Minnesota Department of Health, she arranged to provide vaccines and booster shots to people who had resisted them, setting up in a retrofitted city bus outside a Nigerian church, a Hmong senior center, a Somali mall and dozens of other sites. But even as the United States now prepares for a critical campaign to deliver Omicron-specific booster shots, Ms. Garner’s job no longer exists. In June, her contract position was canceled because the state said funding had dried up. NY Times
|
|
|
U.S. Plans To Move COVID Vaccines, Treatments To Private Markets In 2023
The U.S. government expects its supply of COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral treatments to run out over the next year and is preparing for them to be sold via the commercial market, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday. President Joe Biden's administration expects to run out of federal funding for buying and distributing COVID-19 vaccines by January, although it has already bought over 170 million doses for a booster campaign later this year, according to a blog post written by Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O'Connell. The administration has procured enough of Pfizer's antiviral treatment Paxlovid to supply the pills until mid-2023, O'Connell said, but other therapeutics made by Merck & Co and AstraZeneca are likely to be sold on the commercial market sooner. U.S. News & World Report Read more
|
|
|
State/National/International News |
|
COVID-19 Has Reduced Life Expectancy In California By At Least Two Years
While many might believe that the pandemic is over, COVID-19 continues to cause deaths every day. A study published by Journal of the American Medical Association has found that not only has Covid caused a huge death toll in the United States, but the pandemic has actually lowered life expectancy in California by at least two years as reported by Princeton.edu news. According to the study, “life expectancy declined from 81.40 years in 2019 to 79.20 years in 2020 and 78.37 years in 2021.” |
|
|
As Americans Ditch COVID Measures, Pandemic Worsens For The Vulnerable
In the last few months, Dr Jeannina Smith has seen organ transplant recipients who have been very careful throughout the pandemic venture out for one activity, contract COVID-19 and lose their transplant. “I have been at the bedside of a transplant recipient” who “was very ill and in the hospital, and she got COVID the second time in a healthcare setting”, said Smith, medical director of the infectious disease program at University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. “She was sobbing because she said, ‘It’s so hard for me to see that people care so little about my life that wearing a mask is too much for them.’" The Guardian Read more
|
|
|
Black COVID Long-Haulers Felt Invisible To The Health Care System, So They Formed Their Own Support Groups
Chimére L. Smith, 40, thought her bout with COVID in March 2020 would pass within two weeks, as most mild cases do. But the Baltimore English middle school teacher found herself continuously experiencing extreme fatigue, diarrhea, dry mouth, brain fog and a sore throat, which she initially attributed to a possible sinus infection. By April, she couldn’t work or drive, had lost 30 pounds, had spinal pain and lost complete vision in her left eye. She even thought about taking her own life. Smith was experiencing long COVID. NBC News Read more
|
|
|
Wastewater Surveillance Has Become A Critical COVID Tracking Tool, But Funding Is Inconsistent
To look at recent data posted on Clemson University's COVID-19 dashboard , one might assume that viral activity is low on the Upstate South Carolina college campus. The dashboard, which relies on positive COVID tests reported by local laboratories and on-campus medical offices, identified 34 positive cases among students during the third week of August and 20 cases the week before. For those who rely on these kinds of dashboards to assess the risk of contracting COVID, the recent data doesn’t paint the most accurate picture, said David Freedman, who chairs the university’s Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. With the proliferation of at-home COVID tests, only a small fraction of positive results are reported to public agencies. Many people with mild infections don’t test at all. Kaiser Health News Read more
|
|
|
California Finally Regains Jobs Lost In COVID-19 Recession
In July, the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.9%, exactly the record-low number that California achieved in February 2020, just before Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the first of his shutdown orders. Total employment in July was still a bit lower than it was 28 months earlier, 18.8 million vs. 18.6 million, but the labor force was also a little smaller, 19.5 million vs. 19.3 million, and virtually every private economic sector saw full employment recovery. Government was the only major sector still lagging, about 100,000 workers fewer than it had been. CalMatters Read more
|
|
|
China Puts Millions Back Under COVID Lockdown Amid Fresh Outbreaks
China has placed millions of its citizens under renewed lockdown following fresh outbreaks of COVID-19, authorities reported Tuesday, as the government persists in its hard-line policy on containing the virus. The measures affected about half of the 6 million residents of the port city of Dalian, along with an undisclosed number in Chengde and Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, both around three hours from the capital Beijing. Dalian's lockdown was due to last five days, although authorities have in the past extended restrictions depending on the number of new cases discovered.
|
|
NBA Sets Health And Safety Protocols For COVID-19 Ahead Of 2022-23 Season, Per Report
It wasn't so long ago that the entire sports world needed to shut down because of COVID-19. When the NBA resumed its 2019-20 season after an extended hiatus, it needed to do so in a bubble at Disney World in order to play basketball safely. Less than a year ago, every team in the league lost players for extended periods of time due to the outbreak of the Omicron variant. Replacement players became ubiquitous in December and January. Yet as the world continues to creep back toward normalcy, the NBA is slowly doing the same. CBS Sports Read more
|
|
|
Monkeypox Detected In Student At North Bay High School
Monkeypox, or MPX, has been detected at a North Bay high school. Students at Rancho Cotate High School told KRON4 that school officials sent out an email informing them a student had monkeypox. “They didn’t say the gender, they didn’t name who it was, they just said the student had monkeypox and went home, and they cleaned and beware of your surroundings,” said Cali Ortiz, a student. KRON4 Read more
|
|
|
California Will Pour Money Into Fight Against Monkeypox Outbreak
State legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom have agreed to spend more than $41 million on California’s efforts to fight the spread of the monkeypox virus, an influx of resources that could make it easier for patients to access testing and treatment. The emergency spending package was unveiled over the weekend, as part of the state’s final budget for the current fiscal year. LGBTQ legislators had called on the state to step up its efforts to combat the outbreak, particularly as many criticize the federal government over its sluggish response to the crisis. SF Chronicle Read more
|
|
|
Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,733,199
California: 11,087.642
U.S.: 94,505,243
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 82.9%
Total Cases: 342,162
Total Deaths: 2,003
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 7.3%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 8/31): 119
ICU Beds Available (as of 8/31): 112
|
|
Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 9,050
California: 94,864
U.S.: 1,045,985
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 83.2%
Total Cases: 266,656
Total Deaths: 1,409
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 8.3%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 8/31): 51
ICU Beds Available (as of 8/31): 24
|
|
|
10 Ways To Get Ready To Go Back To The Office
After roughly two years, many companies that switched to working fully remote during the COVID-19 pandemic are now asking employees to return to the office. Companies ranging from Microsoft and Google to American Express and Citigroup have announced their plans to welcome employees back to their (in-office) desks either full or part time. But heading back to the office is going to require some adjustments for many employees. If you’re returning to the office on either a full-time or hybrid schedule, here are 10 ways to prepare for the change. AARP Read more
|
|
|
- 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.
|
|
-
A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.
-
An antibody test might tell you if you had a past infection.
|
|
|
Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 8/31/2022
Oakland: 97,268
Hayward: 41,901
Fremont: 37,582
San Leandro: 20,801
Berkeley: 19,837
Eden MAC: 18,411
Livermore: 16,385
Union City: 14,966
Alameda: 12,621
Castro Valley: 12,156
|
|
Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 8/31/2022
Richmond: 36,949
Antioch: 33,825
Concord: 27,867
Pittsburg: 20,979
Brentwood: 17,522
San Pablo: 15,521
Walnut Creek: 14,333
San Ramon: 13,816
Oakley: 12,963
Martinez: 9,624
|
|
|
About Eden Health District |
|
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.
|
|
|
Follow Us on Social Media |
|
|
|
|
|
|
