COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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"There are some activities that fully vaccinated people can begin to resume now in the privacy of their own homes. Everyone - even those who are vaccinated - should continue with all mitigation strategies when in public settings.”
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky
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10 SF Bay Area ZIP Codes Get Vaccine Priority Under New Equity Plan
Three in Alameda County, One in Contra Costa County
California will begin distributing 40% of all vaccine doses to the most vulnerable neighborhoods in the state to inoculate people most at risk from the coronavirus in the latest revamp of the state's rules, the state announced Thursday. Those given priority in the new system live in ZIP codes that fall into the lowest quartile of the state’s Healthy Places Index, which measures socioeconomic opportunity. The areas are considered most vulnerable based on metrics such as household income, education level and access to health care. SF Gate Read more
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CVS Expands COVID Vaccination Sites to 272 CA Locations
The rollout of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccination triggered an expansion of inoculation sites in the Golden State, and there are still a number of CVS locations with appointments available this week. CVS Pharmacy was already administering vaccines as part of the Federal Pharmacy Program, which means they receive doses directly from the federal government separate from the California allocation and now has begun receiving shipments of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Castro Valley Patch Read more
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How to Potentially get a COVID-19 Vaccine by Volunteering at California Clinics
Californians who volunteer at COVID-19 vaccine clinics through a new state website linked to My Turn may be able to be vaccinated themselves at the end of their shift. "A volunteer that completes a shift of four hours or more is eligible to receive a vaccination as long as the clinic administrator provides that approval," David Smith with California Volunteers said. KCRA 3 Read more
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One and Done: Why People Are Eager for Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine
Since Johnson & Johnson revealed data showing that its vaccine, while highly protective, had a slightly lower efficacy rate than the first shots produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, health officials have feared the new shot might be viewed by some Americans as the inferior choice. But the early days of its rollout suggest something different: Some people are eager to get it because they want the convenience of a single shot. And public health officials are enthusiastic about how much faster they could get a single shot distributed, particularly in vulnerable communities that might not otherwise have access to a vaccine. NY Times Read more
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Fauci Says Vaccine Supply Will Be "Dramatically Increased" in Weeks Ahead
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, said Sunday that the number of vaccine doses available will sharply rise in the coming weeks following federal approval of a third coronavirus vaccine. "We need to gradually pull back (on restrictions) as we get more people vaccinated, and that is happening every single day, more and more people, and particularly as we get more doses, which are going to be dramatically increased as we get into April and May," Fauci said on "Face the Nation" of scaling back mitigation measures. CBS News Read more
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Covid-19 Pill Shows Promise in Preliminary Testing
An experimental Covid-19 drug that promises to be a kind of Tamiflu for the pandemic had positive results in a preliminary study, one of the drug’s developers said. The pill, which is being developed by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP and Merck & Co., significantly reduced infectious virus in subjects in a mid-stage study after five days of treatment, Ridgeback reported at a virtual meeting of infectious-disease scientists Saturday. Wall Street Journal Read more
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Global Vaccine Confidence Grows as Side Effect Worries Fade
Confidence in COVID-19 vaccines is growing, with people’s willingness to have the shots increasing as they are rolled out across the world and concerns about possible side effects are fading, a 14-country survey showed on Friday. Co-led by Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) and the polling firm YouGov, the survey found trust in COVID-19 vaccines had risen in nine out of 14 countries covered, including France, Japan and Singapore which had previously had low levels of confidence. Mercury News Read more
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The Differences Between the Vaccines Matter
It’s certainly true that all three of the FDA-authorized vaccines are very good - amazing, even - at protecting people’s health. No one should refrain from seeking vaccination on the theory that any might be second-rate. But it’s also true that the COVID-19 vaccines aren’t all the same: Some are more effective than others at preventing illness, for example; some cause fewer adverse reactions; some are more convenient; some were made using more familiar methods and technologies.
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Russian Disinformation Campaign Aims to Undermine Confidence in Pfizer, Other Covid-19 Vaccines
Russian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Pfizer Inc.’s and other Western vaccines, using online publications that in recent months have questioned the vaccines’ development and safety, U.S. officials said. An official with the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, which monitors foreign disinformation efforts, identified four publications that he said have served as fronts for Russian intelligence.Wall Street Journal Read more
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Some Older Adults Are Getting Bypassed in the Vaccine Push
Jean Andrade, an 88-year-old who lives alone, has been waiting for her COVID-19 vaccine since she became eligible under state guidelines nearly a month ago. She assumed her caseworker would contact her about getting one, especially after she spent nearly two days stuck in an electric recliner during a recent power outage. It was only after she saw a TV news report about competition for the limited supply of shots in Portland, Oregon, that she realized no one was scheduling her dose. Mercury News Read more
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Vaccine Resources
Food Pantries
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 411,087
California: 3,599,689
U.S.: 29,001,272
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 484,469
Cases: 81,345
Deaths: 1,292
Test Positivity: 2.9%
Hospitalized Patients: 145
ICU Beds Available: 99
Cases have decreased over the past two weeks (-46%) but are still high. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have also fallen. The test positivity rate in Alameda County is relatively low, suggesting that test capacity is meeting current demand. NY Times
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 5,520
California: 54,225
U.S.: 525,136
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 364,592
Cases: 63,400
Deaths: 708
Test Positivity: 4.0%
Hospitalized Patients: 74
ICU Beds Available: 40
Cases have decreased over the past two weeks (-30%) but are still 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 meeting current demand. NY Times
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How California’s New COVID Vaccine Strategy Could Let the Bay Area Reopen Sooner
Counties across California likely will be allowed to ease restrictions on businesses and activities more quickly in the coming weeks as part of an accelerated reopening strategy state officials announced in tandem with a new policy targeting vaccine supplies to hard-hit communities In the Bay Area, the change could mean Contra Costa County will join Alameda, Santa Cruz and Solano counties in leaving the most-restrictive stage of the state’s coronavirus regulations as soon as this week. Mercury News Read more
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Contra Costa County is Close to Moving Into Red Tier
With five Bay Area counties in the red tier now, another is eyeing the shift that will allow for loosened restrictions. Contra Costa County is making good progress with slowing the spread of the coronavirus, recording an average of just under 10 cases per 100,000 people per day. The county is getting closer to the required seven cases per day to be eligible to move into the red tier. KRON4 Read more
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The First Day of School For Some as Pleasanton Returns to In-Person Classes
It was the first day of school - at least in person - for some kindergarteners in Pleasanton as they stepped foot inside a classroom on Thursday. Some students in grades pre-kindergarten through second grade of the Pleasanton Unified School District returned to the classroom Thursday for the first time this school year. The district is rolling out a phased return to school during the pandemic, with more elementary groups of students expected to return today. Mercury News Read more
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Bay Area Commuters Got Their Lives Back by Working from Home. Are They Willing to Give That Up?
For much of the first year of his daughter’s life, Dallas Hartwell barely got to see her during the week. Teaching world history and coaching football at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael meant commuting two hours each way from their home in Vacaville. “She was asleep when I left the house, and she would be in bed by the time I got home,” Hartwell said.
Then, nearly one year ago, a spreading global pandemic erased his commute. Mercury News Read more
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COVID-19 Reveals Need to Increase Diversity Among California Physicians
COVID-19 has revealed serious flaws in our health system, but none is more distressing than the deep racial and ethnic inequality exposed by the pandemic. With Latinx and Black people dying at higher rates than the rest of the population, communities of color are much more likely than other groups to say they’re having trouble accessing telehealth services and paying medical bills. CalMatters Read more
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Pandemic "Zoom Fatigue" is Real, Stanford Research Shows
The feeling of exhaustion after a day of video calls has become so commonplace during the pandemic that it spawned the popular term “Zoom fatigue.” And according to a Stanford University researcher, the effect is quite real.
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Travel Picks Up in the Bay Area as COVID-19 Restrictions Loosen
With restrictions loosening up, it looks like things are moving in the right direction and it appears people are looking in their attics and sweeping the dust off of their luggage - maybe a preview of travel this summer.
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State/National/International News |
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California to Allow Outdoor Stadiums, Performance Venues to Reopen in April
California will allow various outdoor activities - including sports stadiums and live performance venues - to resume at limited capacity next month, state officials said Friday. Starting April 1st, outdoor sports stadiums, concert venues and amusement parks across the state may welcome a limited number of guests back as officials push to vaccinate more residents against COVID-19, said California Health and Human Services Agency Dr. Mark Ghaly in a news release. Mercury News Read more
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A User’s Guide to the Coronavirus Variants Emerging in California and Beyond
It seemed like everything was getting better - and then the mutants arrived. Yes, the horror story that is our lives a year into the coronavirus pandemic had already challenged us with plenty of just-when-you-let-your-guard-down twists and turns. And here we are, with case rates and deaths plummeting, businesses reopening and millions of people getting vaccinated in every corner of the country. Things are looking up. But now health officials and infectious disease experts are keeping an eye on something that threatens all this progress: the COVID-19 mutations. Mercury News Read more
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Scientists Underestimated the Coronavirus - And Are Racing to Keep Up With Evolution
Evolutionary biologist Jesse Bloom knew it was only a matter of time: The coronavirus would turn into an even more formidable foe, able to dodge the disease-fighting antibodies that protect people after being infected or vaccinated. He even knew which mutation was likely to give it that superpower. He just didn’t know it would happen quite this fast. For much of 2020, most people - including most experts - weren’t particularly worried about the virus’s ability to evolve. Washington Post Read more
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Obesity Is Key Driver Of a Nation’s Covid Death Toll, Global Study Finds
The link between COVID severity and obesity, a new study finds a "dramatic" connection: In countries where more than half the population is overweight, fatality rates are 10 times higher than in other nations. Kaiser Health News Read more
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Global Vaccine Push Fuels a New Race, This Time for Syringes
As countries jostle to secure enough vaccine doses to help put an end to the pandemic, a new competition is unfolding: for syringes to administer them with. There is simply not enough of them.Further complicating the challenge, not just any syringe will do the trick.
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Europe Debates Vaccine Passports as a Way to Save Summer Tourism
Ahead of Europe's summer holiday season, some top destinations such as Greece and Spain are pushing the European Union to introduce digital "vaccine passports" to ease entry for visitors - and their tourism cash. Some countries have already taken steps in that direction. Washington Post
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On Vacci-Dating: Singles Seem Enamored of Sharing Vaccination Status Online. Is That Wise?
As eligibility for the COVID vaccine opens up to groups that may include younger people, it’s likely vaccine status will gain more prominence in dating profiles. It also seems possible that dating app companies may eventually roll out a feature to select or highlight your vaccination status in your profile. Kaiser Health News Read more
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How to Prevent Foggy Eyeglasses While Wearing a Mask
Masks are a crucial way to decrease the spread of COVID-19, but these mouth-and-nose coverings cause a few nuisances, including fogged-up eyeglasses. When it's cold, your breath puffing up through the top of the mask clouds the lenses, especially when you go from the chilly outside to the warmer indoors and the mask isn't tight around your face. The effect is similar to how a hot shower's steam fogs up a cool bathroom mirror. AARP 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 677 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 41 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 755 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 67 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 3/7/21
Oakland: 25,270
Hayward: 12,784
Fremont: 7,273
Eden MAC: 5,517
San Leandro: 5,017
Livermore: 4,051
Union City: 3,756
Berkeley: 3,316
Newark: 2,603
Castro Valley: 2,357
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 3/7/21
Richmond: 9,644
Antioch: 8,785
Concord: 7,471
Pittsburg: 6,301
San Pablo: 4,934
Brentwood: 3,449
Oakley: 2,868
Bay Point: 2,590
Walnut Creek: 2,582
San Ramon: 1,883
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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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