COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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"By the time we get to April, that would be what I call for lack of better wording, open season. Namely, virtually everybody and anybody in any category can start to get vaccinated."
Dr. Anthony Fauci
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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California Aims to More Than Double Vaccination Rate in New Partnership With Blue Shield
California aims to vaccinate up to 3 million people a week by March 1 - more than double its current rate - under a distribution contract with Blue Shield that took effect Monday. The goal was set even as counties continued to face frustrating supply problems. The partnership with Blue Shield is meant to repair what has so far been a bumpy, chaotic vaccination rollout in California, highlighted in the Bay Area this week by one major immunization site opening while two others closed because of vaccine shortages. SF Chronicle Read more
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Everywhere You Can Get a Coronavirus Vaccine in the Bay Area
It’s been two months since the first Californian received a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 5 million of you have managed to get the coveted shot since then. Everyone who has succeeded - or mercilessly redialed and refreshed till their fingers were numb -knows how maddening it can be getting an appointment. And as we enter month number three on your quest for a coronavirus vaccination, the good news is there are more and more places to get a shot. But figuring out just where to go and how to sign up is becoming even more confusing as the options increase. Mercury News Read more
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Oakland Coliseum Open as Mass Vaccination Site Today
While San Francisco and other counties are pausing vaccinations at their mass vaccination sites, in Alameda County, it’s all systems go for the federal mega site at the Oakland Coliseum. On Monday, FEMA and CAL OES had a soft launch administering vaccines to Oakland police and the people who will be working at the site when it opens today. NBC Bay Area Read more
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San Francisco Mass Vaccination Sites On Pause As COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Runs Short
With demand soaring and the supply of COVID-19 vaccine limited, San Francisco health officials announced Sunday they were pausing operations at the city’s mass vaccination sites located at Moscone Center and City College. CBSN Bay Area Read more
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California to Begin COVID-19 Vaccinations for Those at Highest Risk in Mid-March
California Health and Human Services secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced Friday that as of March 15, state healthcare providers can begin vaccinating people ages 16-64 with the "highest risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19." Those risks include cancer, chronic kidney or pulmonary disease, down syndrome, weakened immune system, pregnancy, Sickle cell disease, heart conditions, severe obesity, and type 2 diabetes. People may also be eligible for the vaccine if they have a disability that makes them likely to develop a life-threatening illness from COVID-19. KTVU Read more
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What You Need to Know When You Get the Shot
Those getting ready to roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine shot will take part in the most ambitious vaccination effort in U.S. history. As efforts ramp up, here’s advice from doctors involved with the vaccine rollout on how to prepare and what to expect. Many people will register for a timed appointment, aimed at keeping wait times and the potential for crowds to a minimum - although the patchwork rollout so far has also meant many waiting in long lines. After filling out consent forms and receiving the shot, you’ll be monitored for adverse reactions for 15 or 30 minutes depending on your allergy history.
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When Will Vaccines Be Open To All? Fauci Predicts April
The United States could see “open season” for COVID-19 vaccine doses by April, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday, an optimistic forecast that comes as states continue to clamor for additional supplies to ramp up their rollouts. Though the nation will still be far from administering doses to all those who need it by then, Fauci said he believes conditions will improve to the point that health officials can begin inoculating the wider population. LA Times Read more
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Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines
Most people in the United States are planning to get vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines. But some may want more information about the vaccines, including the process for developing and authorizing these vaccines and information about their safety and effectiveness. People may have previous experiences that affect their trust and confidence in the health system.
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Pentagon Puts Some 3,600 More Troops on Standby to Assist With COVID Vaccination Efforts
The Defense Department announced Friday that it has put around 3,600 service members on orders to be ready to deploy around the country to help with mass vaccination efforts.This will bring the total now to more than 4,700 active-duty personnel supporting or preparing to support FEMA. CNN Read more
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COVID-19 Vaccines: How to Volunteer to Help Distribution
There are several volunteer opportunity programs, either run by the state of California or by Bay Area counties themselves. As California expands its vaccination program and site capacity, new volunteer opportunities will likely continue to open up around the Bay Area.
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 395,977
California: 3,491,496
U.S.: 27,699,644
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered: 256,045
Cases: 78,714
Deaths: 1,121
Test Positivity: 6.2%
Hospitalized Patients: 250
ICU Beds Available: 81
Cases are very high but have decreased over the past two weeks (-31%). The number of hospitalized COVID patients and deaths in the Alameda County area have also fallen. The test positivity rate in Alameda County is high, suggesting that cases may be undercounted.
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Reported Deaths
Bay Area: 4,924
California: 47,126
U.S.: 486,473
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered: 216,625
Cases: 60,710
Deaths: 622
Test Positivity: 6.2%
Hospitalized Patients: 116
ICU Beds Available: 40
Cases are very high but have decreased over the past two weeks (-38%). The numbers of hospitalized COVID patients in the Contra Costa County area have also fallen. Deaths have increased. The test positivity rate in Contra Costa County is high, suggesting that cases may be undercounted.
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East Bay Times Offers COVID-19 Vaccine Zoom Webinar
Thursday, February 18, at 10 a.m.
With a mass vaccination campaign that is complex and unprecedented, consumers are struggling to make sense of the COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution system that will guide us out of the devastating pandemic.
What are the challenges? What are the success stories? Join our journalists to hear an up-to-date overview of the vaccine pipeline and projections of the 2021 distribution timetable. We’ll summarize the science and policies that are driving allocation strategies on the federal, state and county levels. Register for free
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COVID Variant Circulating in the Bay Area is Likely Linked to Increased Hospitalizations, Death
British scientists say a COVID variant already found circulating in the Bay Area is likely linked to increased hospitalizations and death. It’s thought to be stickier, meaning it does a better job at sticking to cells. KTVU Read more
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What Happens When Extra Vaccine Doses Are Left Over?
Bay Area county health departments say they plan their distribution of vaccines to minimize leftover doses. But what happens when some remain? If there’s extra vaccine, state guidelines direct counties to move through the different eligibility tiers in the order they're prioritized. Still, the bottom line is: "The shots are liquid gold, you don’t want that to go to waste," said Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio. KQED Read more
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AC Transit Offers Fare-Free Shuttles to Oakland Coliseum Vaccine Site
AC Transit is offering free-fare shuttles to the Oakland Coliseum for riders who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Appointments are required to receive the vaccine at the Coliseum site. Appointments may be made via the state's dashboard myturn.ca.gov. To access the fare-free vaccine shuttle, all riders must present their e-mail proof of appointment to the Bus Operator . Read more
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How COVID Changed Bay Area Parks
There’s no question that running a business during the COVID pandemic has been hard.
But how about a 125,000-acre spread - four times as large as the city of San Francisco - with 25 million visitors a year? East Bay Times Read more
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Free BART Ride Home for Those Vaccinated at Coliseum Vaccine Site
Starting today, extra BART staff will be deployed to the Coliseum Station to provide anyone who received a vaccine a free $7 BART ticket on-site after showing their vaccination card with a matching date. Read more
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State/National/International News
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CDC Color-Coded Guide for School Reopening Could Create More Confusion in California
As educators around California await further guidance from Sacramento on school reopening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a color-coded guide to help school districts decide under what conditions they could offer in-person instruction. The CDC guidance bears a striking resemblance to what California already has in place. But it could generate more confusion because the color codes it has in mind don’t match California’s four-tier system. KQED Read more
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California Closes in on Two Weeks of Widespread Improvement
As the second week of February came to an end, so too had the second straight week of consistent declines in all of California’s COVID-19 metrics, according to data compiled by the San Jose Mercury News. However, cases, hospitalizations and deaths all remain at higher levels than any time prior to this winter. Mercury News Read more
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Average New U.S. Virus Cases Below 100K For First Time in Months
Average daily new coronavirus cases in the United States dipped below 100,000 in recent days for the first time in months, but experts cautioned Sunday that infections remain high and precautions to slow the pandemic must remain in place. The seven-day rolling average of new infections was well above 200,000 for much of December and went to roughly 250,000 in January, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University, as the pandemic came roaring back after it had been tamed in some places over the summer. KRON4 Read more
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The Pandemic Has Unmasked America’s Deepest Inequities
COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, but the havoc wrought by the virus - the deaths, economic devastation, and intergenerational trauma - has disproportionately affected Black, Latino, and Native American communities. Stay-at-home orders protected people with the privilege to work remotely while frontline workers, disproportionately Black and Latino, took on greater risk of exposure. People of color have also experienced more unemployment and financial insecurity. Mother Jones Read more
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It was the first time the doctor and I had seen each other in a year. This was in December; I was in for my annual scans and blood work. We made small talk, catching up on the various ways 2020 had ravaged us both. I learned she'd been caught in the city's first wave of COVID-19 cases, back in March. She'd been seriously ill and her sense of taste and smell were still not back to normal. Then she asked if I'd been sick. No, I told her. I'd stayed home, and I wasn't in a high risk group. "Well," she said, her eyes flicking down on the results of my latest labs, "and your blood type." Raw Story Read more
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The Problem is Tomorrow's Variants: Renowned Bay Area Epidemiologist Predicts Prolonged Pandemic
It will take years, not months, to gain the upper hand in the coronavirus pandemic - and it will require thinking well beyond our borders, says Dr. Larry Brilliant. The 76-year-old Bay Area epidemiologist, who has worked to eradicate smallpox, polio and co-founded the Seva Foundation in Berkeley to combat blindness, has a unique perspective on the subject. For years, Brilliant warned of a pandemic on the scale of the one we are living through. He even served as the senior technical adviser on the 2011 motion picture “Contagion,” filmed partly at the San Francisco 49ers old stadium, Candlestick Park. SF Chronicle Read more
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COVID-Linked Syndrome in Children Is Growing and Cases Are More Severe
Fifteen-year-old Braden Wilson was frightened of COVID-19. He was careful to wear masks and only left his house, in Simi Valley, Calif., for things like orthodontist checkups and visits with his grandparents nearby. But somehow, the virus found Braden. It wreaked ruthless damage in the form of an inflammatory syndrome that, for unknown reasons, strikes some young people, usually several weeks after infection by the coronavirus. NY Times Read more
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Post-COVID: "It is heartbreaking to watch your child suffer"
An increasing number of children have been hospitalized due to coronavirus and, more often, the complications that can follow. Israeli health experts had seemed sure that children were not at risk from coronavirus during the first and second waves of the pandemic, but have since revised that assessment. On Monday, Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba reported that two children, ages eight and 14, were hospitalized with post-coronavirus symptoms. Jerusalem Post Read more
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494,000 More U.S. Deaths Than Normal Since COVID-19 Struck
Since March, about 494,000 more Americans have died than would have in a normal year, a sign of the broad devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. An analysis of mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows how the pandemic is bringing with it unusual patterns of death, even higher than the official totals of death that have been directly linked to the virus. NY Times.
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The Body Is Far From Helpless Against Coronavirus Variants
To locate some of the world’s most superpowered cells, look no further than the human immune system. The mission of these hometown heroes is threefold. Memorize the features of dangerous microbes that breach the body’s barriers. Launch an attack to bring them to heel. Then squirrel away intel to quash future assaults. The Atlantic Read more
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You Think The U.S. Has Vaccine Issues? 130 Countries Haven't Even Started Vaccinating
In some countries, citizens are grumbling about the inefficient rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. It's unclear exactly when doses will be available. Websites for appointments keep crashing. Lines are long.
And then there are the 130 countries that "are yet to administer a single dose," according to UNICEF. That's 2.5 billion people who so far have been completely shut out of the global vaccine campaign. NPR Read more
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Biden’s Vaccine Push Runs Into Distrust in the Black Community
Former Tuskegee, Ala., mayor Johnny Ford rolled up his right sleeve and smiled behind his mask as the first dose of coronavirus vaccine entered his arm - a televised display of faith he hoped would save Black families from suffering. Ford became mayor soon after the disclosure of the infamous Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male in 1972, and he spent years seeking justice for victims of the abominable government-run program. Now he’s trying to persuade Black people that vaccines fast-tracked by that same government are not only safe, but vital. Washington Post Read more
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Have You Tested Positive for COVID-19?
People who test positive for COVID-19 but aren't sick enough to need hospitalization are still required to isolate at home. CDC 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 2,066 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 126 cases per 100,000 residents.
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 1,397 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 123 cases per 100,000 residents.
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 2/15/21
Oakland: 24,465
Hayward: 12,365
Fremont: 6,894
Eden MAC: 5,372
San Leandro: 4,846
Livermore: 3,936
Union City: 3,628
Berkeley: 3,131
Newark: 2,532
Castro Valley: 2,266
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 2/15/21
Richmond: 9,274
Antioch: 8,392
Concord: 7,176
Pittsburg: 6,011
San Pablo: 4,756
Brentwood: 3,249
Oakley: 2,721
Bay Point: 2,519
Walnut Creek: 2,491
San Ramon: 1,796
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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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