COVID-19
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When Will The Surge In Bay Area COVID Cases Peak?
Here’s Why The BA.2 Curve Will Be Harder To Predict
For much of the pandemic, the trajectories of the Bay Area’s COVID-19 surges have been just behind those of other major areas like New York and the United Kingdom — helping medical experts predict when cases would reach a height before coming back down. But this time around, in the midst of a swell of cases fueled by the BA.2 Omicron subvariant and its sublineages that has yet to peak, health officials say the curve’s rise and fall are harder to predict. One major difference between this surge and previous surges is that it is moving a lot slower, said John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at the UC Berkeley school of public health. That means, even though cases keep rising, we are not seeing them spike rapidly like we have in the past — making it more difficult to discern when the peak might come.SF Chronicle Read more
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How The Bay Area Kept Its Death Rate Low
Six-hundred-fifty-thousand Americans would still be alive. If the United States had the Bay Area’s death rate from COVID-19, 350,000 people would have died so far — not 1 million, the astounding number of deaths the country will reach this month, about as many as the entire population of San Jose. How did the Bay Area avoid the worst of the virus’s wrath? While good fortune and good health played a role, new analysis makes clearer than ever the advantage bestowed by the region’s whole-hearted embrace of public health restrictions and vaccines. Mercury News Read more
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Paxlovid: How And Where To Get The Life-Saving COVID Treatment In The Bay Area
COVID-19 antiviral pills, Paxlovid and molnupiravir, are becoming increasingly available nationwide and in the Bay Area now that supply has improved since the rollout began in January. Here’s a guide to getting them. Pfizer’s Paxlovid is many doctors’ first choice because it performed better than Merck’s molnupiravir in clinical trials, reducing severe disease and death by 90%, compared with 50% for molnupiravir. You need a positive test result, either by PCR or home antigen test, to obtain a prescription to either drug. The pills must be started within the first five days of symptom onset. SF Chronicle
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Cal State East Bay Revives In-Person Graduation Ceremony
After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, students at Cal State University East Bay were finally able to enjoy the pomp and circumstance of in-person graduation. The past two years, graduates were relegated to drive-thru ceremonies. This year was a return to something like "normal." "I'm not a type of person who really cares about this stuff. I did it for my mom," said new graduate Anthony Noriega. "We've waiting for this, not only to celebrate his day and his accomplishments but to be here together," said Anthony's mother Vanessa Noriega. CBS News Read more
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Ex-San Jose City Employee Sues Over Being Fired For Refusing To Comply With Vaccine Mandate
A former San Jose city employee is suing the city, alleging he was fired from his job as an informational technology manager over his religion, which he claims prevented him from getting vaccinated. Eran Amir, who filed his lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court on May 11, claims he was discriminated against and retaliated against for his religion after he refused to comply with San Jose’s vaccine mandate and submit to twice-a-week testing.
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Fremont Makes Pandemic Outdoor Patio Program Permanent
Outdoor dining spaces created in Fremont during the pandemic can stay. Fremont officials say they hope the city’s new permanent commercial outdoor patio program will make it easy for businesses with existing patios or dining areas opened during the height of pandemic health order restrictions to keep them, and for other businesses to begin opening them on sidewalks, in street parking spaces or in parking lots. The Fremont City Council unanimously approved the new rules at its meeting Tuesday. Mercury News
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News
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Paxlovid And Other Antiviral Pills Offer New Hope For "Zero COVID Deaths," Officials Say
When Martha Smith came down with a cough that turned out to be COVID in late April, she figured she’d be able to get Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that’s now in increasingly ample supply at many pharmacies, pretty quickly. “I thought it was going to be easy,” said Smith, who lives in Oakland. “We’ve been at this for two years, surely we’ve developed some processes around this.” Instead, Smith spent the next two days on the phone, speaking to multiple doctors and CVS locations before tracking down the Pfizer drug at a pharmacy in Oakland. All the while, the clock was ticking because she began the process three days into her symptoms and Paxlovid must be started within the first five days of onset to properly do its job. SF Chronicle Read more
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Novavax Confident COVID Vaccine Will Receive FDA Authorization In June After Delays
Novavax is confident its COVID-19 vaccine will receive the endorsement of the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee early this summer, executives said this week. The FDA committee is scheduled to meet on June 7 to review Novavax’s submission. An endorsement from the committee, which is made up of independent experts, would mean the drug regulator is almost certain to quickly authorize the two-dose vaccine for use in the U.S. CNBC Read more
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Why Won’t More Older Americans Get Their Covid Booster?
Even as top U.S. health officials say it’s time America learns to live with the coronavirus, a chorus of leading researchers say faulty messaging on booster shots has left millions of older people at serious risk. Approximately 1 in 3 Americans 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers have dismayed researchers, who note this age group continues to be at the highest risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19. Kaiser Health News Read more
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How Racism In Healthcare Has Led To Vaccine Hesitancy
There are many reasons that people become vaccine-hesitant. Among them are fear of harm, misinformation about efficacy, and lack of a sense of urgency. But for many people of color, there’s often another cause: Medical racism. A new study reports that nearly one in 10 people from ethnic minority groups who refused a COVID-19 vaccine report experiencing racial discrimination in a medical setting during the pandemic and twice as many incidents of discrimination as those who volunteered to receive the vaccine. Healthline Read more
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The U.S. Is About To Make A Big Gamble On Our Next COVID Winter
Experts are expected to choose a vaccine recipe for the fall, when Omicron may or may not still be the globe’s dominant variant. In a recent advisory meeting convened by the FDA, Peter Marks, the director of the agency’s Center of Biologics Evaluation and Research, acknowledged the “very compressed time frame” in which experts will need to finalize the inoculation’s ingredients—probably, he said, by the end of June.
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State/National/International News
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California Again Faces Rising Anxiety About Coronavirus Spread As Summer Approaches
California is approaching another summer amid growing anxiety over COVID-19 as outbreaks increase and officials try to determine when this new wave will crest. Although case rates are climbing, experts note they are doing so at a more modest pace than the first Omicron surge, which began spiking in December. California’s per capita COVID-19 hospitalization rate is also lower than some states on the East Coast. But with Memorial Day, graduations, proms and other seasonal events on the horizon, officials are concerned about the upward trend worsening. LA Times Read more
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What The Current Spike In COVID-19 Cases Could Say About The Coronavirus’ Future
As the Omicron wave subsided in the United States earlier this year, many experts anticipated a sort of reprieve. We certainly weren’t done with COVID, but perhaps we would get a well-deserved rest. That break seems to be over. An increase in infections that began in places including the Northeast and Puerto Rico is now being seen in other parts of the country. Cases will rise and fall going forward, but more worryingly, hospitalizations have started to increase as well — up 20% over two weeks. The decline in deaths has bottomed out at some 350 a day. STAT Read more
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Breakthrough Deaths Comprise Increasing Proportion Of Those Who Died From COVID-19
A growing proportion of COVID-19 deaths are occurring among the vaccinated, a new ABC News analysis of federal data shows. In August of 2021, about 18.9% of COVID-19 deaths occurred among the vaccinated. Six months later, in February 2022, that proportional percent of deaths had increased to more than 40%. Comparatively, in September 2021, just 1.1% of COVID-19 deaths occurred among Americans who had been fully vaccinated and boosted with their first dose. By February 2022, that percentage had increased to about 25%. ABC News Read more
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North Korea Announces First COVID Deaths Amid "Explosive" Outbreak
North Korea has announced an “explosive” COVID-19 outbreak that has likely killed six people and infected more than 350,000, according to state media, prompting fears of an impending and deadly crisis in the isolated and impoverished nation. The announcement comes a day after the country reported its first ever coronavirus case, calling the situation a “major national emergency.” On Thursday, North Korea reported 18,000 new “fever cases” and six deaths, one of which tested positive for the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, state media KCNA reported on Friday. CNN Read more
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U.S. And World Leaders Pledge More Than $3B To Fight Pandemic Globally
The U.S. and other world leaders pledged Thursday more than $3 billion in new funding to fight the pandemic globally at the Biden administration's second Global COVID-19 Summit. This includes over $2 billion for immediate COVID-19 response and $962 million in commitments toward a new pandemic preparedness and global health security fund at the World Bank," the White House said. International leaders and more than 50 organizations and businesses announced their financial commitments, which include efforts to speed up vaccinations, support health care workers and build health security to prevent future pandemics. Axios Read more
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People Are Getting Repeat COVID Infections More Often
After the Omicron surge this winter, there was hope that all those infections would at least mean that COVID would lay low for a while and give us all a bit of a break. It’s starting to seem like that might not be the case. Once again, infections are steadily rising in the US. Some people are catching COVID for a second, third or even a fourth time. Having recently gotten ill seems to no longer be a guarantee you’re protected against COVID for any length of time. Bloomberg Read more
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"COVID Has Taken A Lot From Me": Inside One Long Hauler's Recovery
Heather-Elizabeth Brown feels grateful to have survived her bout with severe COVID-19. But more than two years after testing positive for the virus, she is still managing the physical and mental toll. After contracting COVID-19 early in the pandemic and subsequently going on a ventilator for a month, she faced significant health challenges, from rehabilitation to chronic conditions including diabetes. "COVID has taken a lot from me," Brown, 37, said.
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,363,248
California: 9,349,673
U.S.: 82,487,339
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.1%
Total Cases: 273,594
Total Deaths: 1,873
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 6.5%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 5/16): 66
ICU Beds Available (as of 5/16): 100
The community level of COVID-19 in Alameda County is medium based on cases and hospitalizations, according to the most recent update from the C.D.C.. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has risen in the Alameda County area. Deaths have decreased. NY Times
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 8,405
California: 90,782
U.S.: 999,620
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.5%
Total Cases: 200,400
Total Deaths: 1,302
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 8.7%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 5/16): 59
ICU Beds Available (as of 5/16): 43
The community level of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County is low based on cases and hospitalizations, according to the most recent update from the C.D.C.. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has risen in the Contra Costa area. Deaths have remained at about the same level.
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BYU Study Finds Avoiding Cash To Prevent COVID-19 Spread Was "Useless"
At the height of the pandemic, there were concerns over where the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus could survive and be transmissible. Since little was known about the virus in 2020, health officials strongly suggested disinfecting germy surfaces including shoes, groceries and shopping carts along with discouraging the use of paper money and coins. Officials were concerned about the exchange of money as a potential virus spreader, but new research from Brigham Young University (BYU) finds the avoidance of coins and paper bills to evade the COVID-19 virus was unnecessary. ABC4 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 535 new cases and 0.6 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 281 new cases and 0 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 5/16/2022
Oakland: 79,957
Hayward: 34,741
Fremont: 28,321
San Leandro: 16,578
Berkeley: 15,486
Eden MAC: 15,256
Livermore: 13,524
Union City: 11,968
Alameda: 9,653
Castro Valley: 9,423
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 5/16/2022
Richmond: 29,087
Antioch: 26,338
Concord: 21,619
Pittsburg: 17,111
San Pablo: 12,339
Brentwood: 12,034
Walnut Creek: 10,308
Oakley: 9,944
San Ramon: 9,105
Martinez: 6,727
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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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