COVID-19
breaking news & updates
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"Going through the five phases of grief, we need to come to the acceptance phase that our lives are not going to be the same. I don’t think the world has really absorbed the fact that these are long-term changes.”
Thomas Frieden, Former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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States Administer Nearly 2 Million Vaccine Doses in a Single Day
Public health officials and experts injected some optimism into a dreary cycle of news about the coronavirus pandemic in the United States on Sunday, sounding hopeful about the springtime availability of vaccines and doses. On Saturday, states administered nearly 2 million doses, according to Washington Post data. That round of shots increased the country’s daily average to 1.4 million, just shy of the 1.5 million-per-day goal President Biden floated on the sixth day of his administration. Washington Post Read more
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There Are Multiple Coronavirus Vaccines Available
Is Any One of Them Better?
Assuming that the paperwork all goes as planned, the United States will likely have three novel coronavirus vaccines available by late spring: the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine, and the forthcoming Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is already being distributed in the United Kingdom and will soon face regulatory scrutiny here. Salon Read more
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Johnson & Johnson Requests FDA Authorization For its One-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine
Johnson & Johnson submitted paperwork last week requesting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for use in adults, and the FDA's advisory committee will meet February 26 to discuss the application. The agency is expected to authorize the vaccine within a few days of that meeting. USA Today
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NFL Offers All 30 Stadiums For Use as Coronavirus Vaccine Sites
Every NFL team will offer their stadium as a possible mass vaccination site to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to President Biden. The move would expand an effort that currently includes seven teams. Other sports have taken similar actions. Last month, the Los Angeles Dodgers converted their stadium from a mass coronavirus testing site into a vaccination center. NPR Read more
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As COVID-19 Vaccines Raise Hope, Cold Reality Dawns That Illness is Likely Here to Stay
Vaccination drives hold out the promise of curbing COVID-19, but governments and businesses are increasingly accepting what epidemiologists have long warned: The pathogen will circulate for years, or even decades, leaving society to coexist with COVID-19 much as it does with other endemic diseases like flu, measles, and HIV. Wall Street Journal Read more
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The U.S. Needs a National Vaccine Day
Scientists and pubic health experts are calling for a National Vaccine Day - a one-time federal holiday in 2021 to promote vaccine education, honor the health care workers and scientists who have toiled to help so many survive the pandemic, and remember those who died from it. Such a holiday to recognize and promote vaccination would help disseminate the message that safe and effective vaccines save lives. STAT Read more
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What to Do When There's a Vaccine Glut
The Food and Drug Administration announced new steps last week to help ensure that COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines stay ahead of new, potentially more transmissible and virulent, variants, whose emergence makes widespread vaccination even more urgent. The longer it takes to get the virus under control, the harder it may become. And soon, the problem may be a vaccine glut if demand is weaker than expected. Wall Street Journal
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Confirmed Cases
Bay Area: 385,851
California: 3,456,961
U.S.: 27,009,599
Alameda County
Vaccines Administered:183,775
Cases: 76,117
Deaths: 1,041
Test Positivity: 7.7%
Hospitalized Patients: 319
ICU Beds Available: 68
Cases are very high but have decreased over the past two weeks (-43%). 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: 4,565
California: 44,155
U.S.: 463,539
Contra Costa County
Vaccines Administered:167,808
Cases: 59,107
Deaths: 559
Test Positivity: 8.3%
Hospitalized Patients: 171
ICU Beds Available: 37
Cases are very high but have decreased over the past two weeks (-46%) 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 high, suggesting that cases may be undercounted.
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The Latest on Who in the Bay Area Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines, and Where
Over the past two weeks, there has been a daily deluge of news - and frustration - about COVID-19 vaccinations, headlined last week by the establishment of mass-vaccination sites in the South Bay, East Bay and San Francisco. Providers have also been expanding access to those at most risk of severe illness or death. The initiatives should be good news for those confounded by the twisted explanations, balky websites, and hours-long hold times that have characterized the vaccine rollout to date. But the biggest problem remains: the limited supply of approved vaccines, even as the Biden administration ramps up production and a new one-shot vaccine appears to be nearing readiness for distribution. Mercury News Read more
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“Extraordinary Explosion” of COVID Deaths Stress Bay Area’s Funeral Industry
When New York City was overwhelmed with coronavirus deaths last year, Casey Stone from Bay Area Mortuary was heartbroken by the news stories about “stacking bodies in trailers.”
So when the surge of deaths started hitting the Bay Area in recent weeks and three refrigerated trailers were brought into their mortuary parking lot in San Jose, she started a new ritual. Every morning, she climbs into the temporary morgues with a bucket full of flowers, gently tucks in the white sheets around as many as 60 perished people on bunk bed-style racks and lays a fresh flower on top. East Bay Times
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Racial Disparities Haunt Bay Area COVID Vaccine Programs
As Bay Area health care providers work to vaccinate people against COVID-19, early data suggests that the shots aren’t reaching the people who need them most -communities of color that have been hit hardest by the virus.
As of February 4, just three counties - Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo - had released numbers on the racial and ethnic breakdown of vaccine recipients. But in each, the data shows that Latinx residents are receiving only a small percentage of the shots delivered so far - much smaller than their share of infections and deaths. Mercury News
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Oakland Teachers Will be Eligible For COVID-19 Vaccine This Week
Starting today, thousands of teachers and other school workers in Oakland and Alameda County will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to county officials.
About 325,000 people are in the next phase of Alameda County’s vaccine rollout plan, which in addition to educators includes food, agriculture, and emergency services workers, and people ages 65 and up.
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Bay Area Churches Exercising Caution After Supreme Court Ruling
A high court decision to lift a California ban on indoor church gatherings did not lead to a groundswell of openings Sunday, as many places of worship continued to hold their services outside or online, following state and local restrictions that have been in place for months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While some parishioners and church leaders said they welcomed the ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, they were not ready to change the routine of the past year. Mercury News Read more
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Online Community Forum on COVID-19 Vaccines
Join "Real Talk & Trusted Advice COVID-19 Vaccine Community Forum" with Dr. Kim Rhoads and Dr. Jonathan Butler of UCSF today, February 8, from 4:30-6 p.m.
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New Cases, Hospitalizations Keep Declining in California
California has the lowest weekly average of new COVID-19 cases since December 1 and the fewest patients hospitalized with the virus since December 11, the latest signs of the decline of a massive wave of cases and deaths started in the winter and over the holidays.
On February 5, California counties reported 14,170 new COVID-19 cases, according to data tracked by the East Bay Times. The state now has a seven-day average of 14,708 daily cases, the lowest it’s been since December 1. On a recent January 10 peak, the state was averaging 44,629 new cases. East Bay Times Read more
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Virus Variant First Found in Britain Now Spreading Rapidly in the U.S.
A more contagious variant of the coronavirus first found in Britain is spreading rapidly in the United States, doubling roughly every 10 days, according to a new study.
Analyzing half a million coronavirus tests and hundreds of genomes, a team of researchers predicted that in a month this variant could become predominant in the United States, potentially bringing a surge of new cases and increased risk of death.
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Why the U.S. is Underestimating COVID Reinfection
As millions of Americans struggle to recover from COVID and millions more scramble for the protection offered by vaccines, U.S. health officials may be overlooking an unsettling subgroup of survivors: those who get infected more than once. Identifying how common reinfection is among people who contracted COVID - as well as how quickly they become vulnerable and why - carries important implications for our understanding of immunity and the nation’s efforts to devise an effective vaccination program. Kaiser Health News Read more
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"Cruel" Digital Race for Vaccines Leaves Many Seniors Behind
With millions of older Americans eligible for COVID-19 vaccines and limited supplies, many continue to describe a frantic and frustrating search to secure a shot, beset by uncertainty and difficulty. The efforts to vaccinate people 65 and older have strained under the enormous demand that has overwhelmed cumbersome, inconsistent scheduling systems.
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Coronavirus Precautions Linked to Low Flu Cases
Has the coronavirus essentially beaten the flu into submission in the Golden State?
Yet another week of wildly low influenza numbers released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that may very well be the case.
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The Three Most Dangerous Underlying Conditions for COVID
AARP asked several physicians on the front lines which health conditions worry them most. Although their responses were varied, three answers came up again and again: diabetes, high blood pressure/underlying heart disease and obesity. AARP
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Is Your Loved One Hesitant to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
Your loved ones are right to have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine - the American public hasn't watched vaccine development this closely since Dr. Jonas Salk discovered how to immunize kids from polio in the '50s.
But vaccine hesitancy could put a dangerous damper on the country's response. CNN Read more
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CDC's New V-safe Tool Uses Texts and Surveys to Check in With You After You Get a COVID-19 Vaccine
Use your smartphone to tell CDC about any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine. You’ll also get reminders if you need a second vaccine dose. V-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 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 2,346 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 143 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Over the last seven days, Contra Costa County officials have reported 1,770 new coronavirus cases, which amounts to 156 cases per 100,000 residents. |
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Alameda County, as of 2/7/21
Oakland: 23,592
Hayward: 12,000
Fremont: 6,678
Eden MAC: 5,241
San Leandro: 4,653
Livermore: 3,846
Union City: 3,535
Berkeley: 2,902
Newark: 2,481
Castro Valley: 2,202
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Top 10 Locations of Cases in
Contra Costa County, as of 2/7/21
Richmond: 9,078
Antioch: 8,085
Concord: 7,055
Pittsburg: 5,834
San Pablo: 4,657
Brentwood: 3,123
Oakley: 2,634
Bay Point: 2,459
Walnut Creek: 2,418
San Ramon: 1,765
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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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