COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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COVID Test Resources
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Oakland Drops Requirement To Show Proof Of COVID-19 Vaccine Indoors
Weeks after many other cities and counties across California had already done so, the Oakland City Council decided Tuesday to stop requiring people to show proof they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide negative test results to enter most indoor public settings. The council voted to modify an ordinance it adopted earlier this year that made indoor restaurants, gyms, recreation centers, fitness centers, concert venues, museums, assisted living homes and senior centers off-limits without the necessary proof or test results. The mandate now applies only to assisted living centers and senior centers. East Bay Times Read more
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Contra Costa County Announces New "Path To Zero" COVID Deaths
It’s a new era in the COVID pandemic: Most precautions have been rolled back, and cases are once again on the rise in California. But with the Bay Area boasting some of the nation’s highest vaccination rates, and the availability of new therapies, Contra Costa County public health officials announced a new goal on Monday: to reduce, and ideally eliminate, “preventable” COVID deaths. “We feel confident that you no longer have to die from COVID-19,” Contra Costa County Health Director Anna Roth said at a news conference, announcing the county’s “Path to Zero” plan to expand at-home testing and get COVID patients effective antivirals quickly. “We believe that many deaths, most deaths, are preventable at this point because we have powerful tools available.”
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At Least 65 Los Gatos High Students, 9 Staff Members Test Positive In Past 2 Weeks
Los Gatos High School officials are trying to stop a spike in COVID-19 cases after at least 65 students and nine staff members have tested positive in the past two weeks. “Despite what might be happening nationally, we are seeing a local increase, especially at our school,” said Principal Kevin Buchanan. He added that the increase came after spring break. So they’re ramping up testing again and strongly encouraging mask use. NBC Bay Area Read more
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U.S. Surgeon General Visits SF To Address Social Isolation And Loneliness During COVID Pandemic
The U.S. surgeon general was in San Francisco Monday night addressing the impact of social isolation and loneliness amid the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Vivek Murthy said many people are struggling, and there are consequences. The event was described as a town hall on community, connection and health with the U.S. surgeon general. He said his mission is to help lay the foundation for a healthier country relying on the best scientific information. KTVU Read more
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News
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FDA Officials Say Annual COVID-19 Shots May Be Needed In The Future
The United States might need to update its COVID-19 vaccines each year, according to a trio of top US Food and Drug Administration officials, and “a new normal” may include an annual Covid-19 vaccine alongside a seasonal flu shot. “Widespread vaccine- and infection-induced immunity, combined with the availability of effective therapeutics, could blunt the effects of future outbreaks. Nonetheless, it is time to accept that the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is the new normal. It will likely circulate globally for the foreseeable future, taking its place alongside other common respiratory viruses such as influenza. And it likely will require similar annual consideration for vaccine composition updates,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock; and new FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf wrote in a paper published in the medical journal JAMA on Monday. CNN Read more
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Fewer Than 1 In 5 U.S. Parents Say They'll Get COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids Under 5 As Soon As They Can, Survey Finds
U.S. children under 5 are getting closer to authorized COVID-19 vaccines, but most parents may be reluctant to actually get them when they become available, a new survey found. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's Vaccine Monitor survey, published Wednesday, only 18% of parents of children under 5 said they would vaccinate their child against COVID-19 as soon as a vaccine was available. Nearly 40% of parents of young children said they would "wait and see" before vaccinating their child, 11% said they would get the vaccine only if required, and 27% said they would "definitely not" vaccinate their child against COVID-19. CNN Read more
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Moderna COVID Vaccine May Have Slight Edge Over Pfizer In Infections Only
Relative to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna version confers slightly more protection against infection—but not hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, or death—90 days after the second dose, suggests a modeling study of more than 3.5 million fully vaccinated Americans published today in Nature Communications. CIDRAP Read more
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U.N. Committee Urges Wealthy Nations To Honor Human Rights And Widen Access To COVID Vaccines
A United Nations committee urged wealthy nations to support a proposal before the World Trade Organization to widen access to COVID-19 vaccines over concerns that people living in poorer countries face a “pattern of unequal distribution” that mirrors historical discrimination. In a new statement, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted that “the vast majority of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in high and upper-middle-income countries and that, as of April 2022, only 15.2% of the population of low-income countries has received even one vaccine dose.” STAT Read more
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State/National/International News
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CDC Reiterates Support For Face Masks On Planes, Trains
U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation. Americans age 2 and older should wear a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends. Mercury News Read more
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Virus Mutations Aren’t Slowing Down
New Omicron Subvariant Proves It
During those terrifying early days of the pandemic, scientists offered one piece of reassuring news about the novel coronavirus: It mutated slowly. The earliest mutations did not appear to be consequential. A vaccine, if and when it was invented, might not need regular updating over time. This proved overly optimistic. The coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has had billions of chances to reconfigure itself as it has spread across the planet, and it continue to evolve, generating new variants and subvariants at a clip that has kept scientists on their toes. Two-and-a-half years after it first spilled into humans, the virus has repeatedly changed its structure and chemistry in ways that confound efforts to bring it fully under control. Washington Post Read more
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Their Virus Symptoms Were Minor - Then They Had Long COVID
Linda Timmer wanted to practice what she preached. While working at a domestic violence nonprofit in Arizona during the height of the COVID-19 summer wave in 2020, Timmer wrote pandemic policies for her workplace, encouraging her colleagues to wear masks and, if they had been exposed to the coronavirus or had symptoms, get tested. Timmer herself was not aware of being exposed or having any COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough or fever, but she started experiencing some unusual moments when she felt fatigued or forgetful, along with several episodes of confusion. CNN
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Severe COVID-19 May Cause 10-Point IQ Drop, 20-Year Brain Aging
Cognitive impairment from severe COVID-19 is equivalent to losing 10 IQ points or 20 years of aging, and any recovery is slow at best, suggests a small study published late last week in eClinicalMedicine. A team led by Imperial College London and University of Cambridge researchers tested 46 COVID-19 patients admitted to a single hospital 6 to 10 months earlier, from Mar 10 to Jul 31, 2020, and matched controls. Sixteen of the COVID-19 patients (34.8%) had required mechanical ventilation. Participants underwent computerized cognitive assessment at an average follow-up of 6 months after their initial infection. The researchers transformed scores from patients and controls into standard deviations (SDs) from expected scores for participants' age and demographic characteristics and calculated global accuracy and response time composites. CIDRAP Read more
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Amazon Workers Won’t Get Paid For COVID Leave Anymore
Amazon is cutting paid time off for front-line U.S. workers who test positive for COVID-19, effective Monday. All U.S.-based Amazon workers who test positive for COVID-19 will now get up to five days of excused, unpaid leave, the company told workers in a notice sent Saturday. A spokesperson told CNBC workers are still able to use their sick time off if needed. In Saturday’s notice, Amazon added that workers waiting for COVID test results will no longer have time off excused since rapid tests are now widely available. CNBC
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COVID-19 Restrictions Loosen Ahead Of Peak Summer Travel
With summer around the corner, Bay Area travelers can begin planning their trip to Europe and other countries as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue to relax. In the last several day countries around the world welcomed back international tourists. For the first time in two years, New Zealand welcomed tourists from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Japan, and more than 50 countries on Monday. Over the weekend, Italy and Greece relaxed some COVID-19 restrictions ahead of Europe’s peak summer tourist season. KRON4 Read more
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,337,178
California: 9,261,886
U.S.: 81,603,859
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 85.9%
Total Cases: 265,915
Total Deaths: 1,888
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 4.8%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 5/4): 47
ICU Beds Available (as of 5/4): 102
As of May 4, cases have increased recently and are very high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have remained at about the same level. Recent data on the test positivity rate in Alameda County was not available. NY Times
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 8,378
California: 90,450
U.S.: 996,389
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.4%
Total Cases: 195,888
Total Deaths: 1,301
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 6.1%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 5/4): 45
ICU Beds Available (as of 5/4): 36
As of May 4, cases have increased recently and are very high. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has also risen in the Contra Costa County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level. Recent data on the test positivity rate in Contra Costa County was not available.
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How To Regain Strength After COVID-19
Recovery from COVID-19 can continue for many weeks or even months after the infection passes. Whether you’re obviously deconditioned after a lengthy hospitalization or coping with more subtle effects of a seemingly ‘mild’ case, it can be challenging. Restoring muscle mass and strength, physical endurance, breathing capacity, mental clarity emotional well-being and daily energy levels are important for former hospital patients and COVID long-haulers alike. WTOP 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 past week, Alameda County has averaged 409 new cases and 1.1 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 252 new cases and 0.3 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 5/4/2022
Oakland: 77,767
Hayward: 34,137
Fremont: 27,362
San Leandro: 16,201
Eden MAC: 15,013
Berkeley: 14,671
Livermore: 13,269
Union City: 11,674
Alameda: 9,285
Castro Valley: 9,153
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 5/4/2022
Richmond: 28,607
Antioch: 25,955
Concord: 21,166
Pittsburg: 16,859
San Pablo: 12,174
Brentwood: 11,781
Walnut Creek: 9,966
Oakley: 9,773
San Ramon: 8,705
Martinez: 6,519
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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 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.
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