COVID-19
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Stanford Offering COVID Vaccines For Young Children
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention clears way for COVID vaccinations for young children, Stanford Children’s Health will begin offering the shot this week. Stanford Children’s Health patients can begin scheduling an appointment. There are 25 pediatric clinics across the Bay Area “It’s very clear that vaccines can protect both children and adults against severe disease, hospitalization and death,” said Stanford Children’s Health Pediatric Infectious Diseases Dr. Grace Lee. KRON4 Read more
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Warriors Parade Raises Questions About COVID-19 Safety, Security
More than 100,000 fans are expected to descend on San Francisco Monday to celebrate the NBA champion Golden State Warriors during a victory parade, but that's raising some questions about COVID-19 safety and security. The good news is the parade is outdoors, where infectious disease experts have repeatedly said COVID-19 is far less transmissible. "I think the most concerning part about the parade is not the parade itself, which is generally outdoors," UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said. "It's the pregame and the postgame, so all the parties that happen before and after, so crowded indoor settings, poor ventilation. Wear your mask." NBC Bay Area Read more
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Alameda County Fair Returns To Full Scale Operation
It finally feels like summer in Alameda County — the county's annual fair is back in full swing, now free from COVID-19 restrictions. Organizers were forced to cancel the fair in 2020 because of COVID-19 threats. In 2021, a smaller version of the fair was delayed to the fall. "We came when our kids were little and missed it the last few years," said Lissa Olson from Pleasanton. "It's fun being back out." Fair organizers are loving the return as much as the community. KTVU Read more
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COVID Vaccine/Treatment News |
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COVID Vaccine Hesitancy Threatens Flu Vaccine Uptake
Polarized views and worries about COVID-19 vaccination had spillover effects on flu vaccination in adults, according to researchers who examined data over two pandemic years on both vaccines by state. The authors of the study say the findings are a warning of declining trust in public heath, which comes at a vulnerable time as eased COVID-19 measures put populations at risk for the return of disease threats such as flu. Late-season flu activity is still under way in some parts of the United States, and health officials are closely watching Australia, where an early-season surge is already worse than some of the country's pre–COVID pandemic flu seasons. CIDRAP Read more
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Why Some Counties Are Still Struggling To Vaccinate Residents Against COVID-19
More than a year and a half since the first COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out - at a record pace and with the promise of ending the worst public health crisis in a century - several U.S. counties still have incredibly low rates of vaccination. Inoculation against COVID and the pandemic at large have long been controversial issues in the U.S., but consistent public health campaigns have helped chip away at vaccine hesitance. Still, despite having readily available safe and effective vaccines as well as booster doses, as of Wednesday, 24 counties in the U.S. have fewer than 30% of their populations with at least one dose against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven counties are under 25%. ABC News Read more
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When Will It Be Time For Another COVID Booster?
Here's What Experts Think
We’ve seen second COVID-19 boosters recommended for older adults and people with underlying health conditions — but what about the general population? Will another booster shot be recommended for everyone in the fall to fend off a winter surge? Or will the next booster campaign be geared to those most at risk for developing severe disease? These are the key questions vaccine experts are considering right now. The Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recently met to discuss the next round of boosters. HuffPost Read more
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DeSantis Says Florida Is "Affirmatively Against" COVID-19 Vaccines For Young Kids
Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday railed against providing COVID-19 vaccines to young children, saying Florida will not provide state programs to administer vaccinations for toddlers or infants. DeSantis, speaking at a press conference in Miami, said that COVID-19 vaccines have not gone through enough testing and clinical trials to determine that they are effective and added that kids are least likely to suffer serious health consequences from COVID. Politico Read more
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State/National/International News |
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"Part Of A New Normal": COVID Reinfections Are Here To Stay
In 2020, COVID reinfections were considered rare. In 2021, breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals could occur, but again, the risk was low. In 2022, that's no longer the case for either. As more immune-dodging coronavirus variants emerge, reinfections and breakthrough infections appear increasingly normal. The United States isn't currently tracking COVID reinfections. However, U.K. researchers have found that the risk of reinfection was eight times higher during the Omicron wave than it was in last year's Delta wave. NBC News Read more
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This May BeThe COVID Variant Scientists Are Dreading
COVID-19 cases are increasing again in the United Kingdom, potentially signaling a future surge in infections in the United States and other countries. A pair of new subvariants of the dominant Omicron variant — BA.4 and BA.5 — appear to be driving the uptick in cases in the U.K. Worryingly, these subvariants seem to partially dodge antibodies from past infection or vaccination, making them more transmissible than other forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There are also some suggestions that the new subvariants have evolved to target the lungs — unlike Omicron, which usually resulted in a less dangerous infection of the upper respiratory tract. Daily Beast Read more
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It’s Getting Harder To Gauge Your COVID Risk Levels—Tracking These 4 Metrics Can Help
For more than two years, the daily count of new COVID-19 infections has been how most people understood the trajectory of the pandemic. Now, experts say, daily case counts don’t mean what they used to — making them a much more flawed metric. People should still take precautionary measures against COVID, but for an otherwise healthy person, the average case isn’t nearly as serious as it once was: The majority of Americans are now vaccinated, and recent variants and subvariants are causing less severe forms of illness. That’s good news, of course, but it does make it harder to gauge your pandemic risk levels these days. When is indoor dining a safe bet, and when should you order takeout? Should you go to the movies this weekend or wait for the current COVID wave to die down? CNBC Read more
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Omicron Poses About Half The Risk Of Long COVID As Delta, New Research Finds
The Omicron variant is much less likely than Delta to cause long COVID, according to the first large-scale study published about the long-term risks posed by omicron. But almost 5% of people who catch Omicron still experience fatigue, brain fog, headaches, heart problems or other health issues at least a month after getting infected, the study found. While some researchers found the results reassuring, others say the findings are alarming, given that so many people caught omicron and apparently remain at risk even if they're vaccinated. NPR Read more
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Rapid COVID Tests Give Many False Negatives, But That Might Mean You're Not Contagious
In early January, more than 700 Stanford University athletes took rapid COVID tests upon returning to the campus. Those who tested negative — and some who tested positive — were also given PCR tests. The students were all participants in an experiment run by the Stanford University School of Medicine, which assessed the accuracy of BinaxNOW rapid tests. The results, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, showed that the rapid tests caught 63% of positive cases, meaning they produced quite a few false negatives. The accuracy varied significantly depending on whether the infected athletes had symptoms. The tests caught 78% of symptomatic cases but 39% among asymptomatic athletes. NBC News Read more
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COVID Can Cloud The Brain For Half A Year, Study Finds
The neurological impact of a COVID-19 infection often persists after other symptoms have cleared up, according to an initial round of research published Wednesday by scientists at UCSD. A majority of patients in the study, published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, reported symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, memory impairment, and decreased concentration for up to six months after a mild or moderate case of COVID-19. Some also had coordination and cognitive issues. SF Chronicle Read more
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Long COVID Could Be A "Mass Deterioration Event"
In late summer 2021, during the Delta wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation issued a disturbing wake-up call: According to its calculations, more than 11 million Americans were already experiencing long COVID. The academy’s dashboard has been updated daily ever since, and now pegs that number at 25 million. Even this may be a major undercount. The Atlantic Read more
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Hawaii And Maine Have Scored Highest On Health Care During Pandemic
The health systems in Hawaii and Maine have performed best of all the states during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new rankings that weighed such factors as vaccination rates, capacity in hospital and intensive care units, and death rates. Alabama ranked at the bottom in the scorecard, followed by Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi and Georgia. The rankings, released Thursday, were compiled by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that promotes health equity and higher health care quality, efficiency and access. Pew Read more
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COVID Cases Are Upending Cycling, And The Tour de France Starts In 2 Weeks
Two races that are supposed to be tune-up events for the Tour de France are instead raising worries about COVID-19's impact on cycling's biggest event, with dozens of riders forced to withdraw because of positive tests. "IIt's just crazy," Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas said at the Tour de Suisse on Friday. "Kind of thought all of this was behind us now." Around 30 riders abandoned the Tour de Suisse on Friday alone, including race leader Aleksandr Vlasov of the Bora-Hansgrohe team — who was coming off of winning Thursday's stage. Several teams withdrew their entire squads. NPR Read more
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Total Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 1,507,528
California: 9,894,792
U.S.: 86,246,266
Alameda County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.5%
Total Cases: 301,481
Total Deaths: 1,905
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 10.8%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 6/20): 105
ICU Beds Available (as of 6/20): 89
The community level of COVID-19 in Alameda County is high based on cases and hospitalizations, according to the most recent update from the C.D.C. on June 9. The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have risen. NY Times
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Total Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 8,539
California: 91,922
U.S.: 1,013,414
Contra Costa County
Primary Vaccine Series Completed: 86.9%
Total Cases: 217,957
Total Deaths: 1,322
Test Positivity (7-day rate): 14.1%
Hospitalized Patients (as of 6/20): 83
ICU Beds Available (as of 6/20): 39
The community level of COVID-19 in Contra Costa County is high based on cases and hospitalizations, according to the most recent update from the C.D.C. on June 9. The number of hospitalized COVID patients has risen in the Contra Costa County area. Deaths have remained at about the same level. NY Times
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How To Resist Peer Pressure When You’re The Only One Wearing A Mask
Actor and director Ben Stiller recently attended a New York Knicks basketball game with every intention to wear a mask. “I honestly got peer pressured into not wearing a mask in my head,” he said in a recent interview on the Howard Stern Show. “Nobody had a mask on. I’m like, ‘OK. Am I going to be the only guy wearing a mask?’ I felt like I’m going to be the weird guy.’ I should have just done that.” No one said anything to Stiller. They didn’t have to. Being the only one in the room with a mask on was too much to bear and he caved. He didn’t wear a mask at the game. “But guess what happened? I got COVID two days after that game,” he said. UC Davis Health 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 564 new cases and 0.9 new deaths per day.
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Over the past week, Contra Costa County has averaged 395 new cases and 1.1 new deaths per day.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, cumulative
as of 6/20/2022
Oakland: 86,940
Hayward: 37,351
Fremont: 32,106
San Leandro: 18,246
Berkeley: 17,242
Eden MAC: 16,443
Livermore: 14,537
Union City: 13,150
Alameda: 10,954
Castro Valley: 10,601
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, cumulative
as of 6/20/2022
Richmond: 30,968
Antioch: 28,286
Concord: 23,518
Pittsburg: 18,242
San Pablo: 13,130
Brentwood: 13,021
Walnut Creek: 11,562
Oakley: 10,694
San Ramon: 10,547
Martinez: 7,505
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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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