Eden Health District COVID-19 Bulletin
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"Imperial County is not exceptional — it’s just a very dramatic version of labor dynamics and racial disparities.”
Luis Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition,
7/31/20
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Lana Nguyen, 17, is a low-income student at George Washington High School in San Francisco, and part of one of the groups hardest hit by Bay Area schools’ shift to "distance learning."
“I live in a studio (with my parents), there’s no privacy room, so usually I do all of my work during school where I have the library, the classroom, or even just a cafe to focus and do work. At home, I don’t have the same area.” Nor has she always had the same materials.
Nguyen says it was a constant struggle growing up debating whether to prioritize buying school supplies or food. A struggle she didn’t want to fall on other low-income families (especially during a pandemic), which is why she decided to do something about it.
Nguyen, along with her friend Susanna Lau (also 17, and an incoming senior at GWHS), launched
SupplyHopeInfo
in May. Using a free website builder and a lot of grassroots efforts, the pair has spearheaded a fundraising effort that has brought in more than $15,000 and provided school supplies to low-income families.
Working with organizations like the APA Family Support Services (which helps at-risk families cope with the challenges of raising young children) and outreaching to ZIP codes in underserved areas, Nguyen and Lau amassed a list of more than 1,000 families in need in just two months.
But the pair — along with a handful of other teens who’ve since joined the SupplyHopeInfo team – do more than just raise money. “In the long term, we won’t always have funds,” Nguyen says. “So we also focus on advocacy.”
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They’ve put together a list of more than 60 resources that include where to get financial support, where to find food pantries nearby, and a list of Covid-19 testing sites. There’s also a newsfeed with posts about preparing for college as a low-income student, personal essays from low-income, first-generation students, and donation updates.
All the supplies they’ve sent to date are tailored to grade levels. Lau says. “Families sign up based on how many students they have, what grade level they’re in, and … then we choose the families by lottery.” The supplies are shipped directly from retailers to homes to keep them pandemic safe.
“There’s already a lack of resources for low-income families; we most heavily rely on school resources,” Nguyen says. “And because no one else was doing this, it felt like it was something we have to do and step up and give back to our community.”
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Alameda County:
11,131
Contra Costa County:
7,670
California:
493,396
U.S.:
4,536,240
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Alameda County:
182
Contra Costa County:
119
California:
9,018
U.S.:
152,878
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East Bay Citizen, July 30, 2020
Local health officials had previously predicted a surge in new cases would come sometime in August. The surge, however, appears to have arrived earlier than expected, said Nicholas Moss, the Alameda County interim public health officer. “It is fair to say that it could be worse in the fall and winter,” Moss told the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday afternoon. While the number of new cases has increased dramatically in places like Oakland, Hayward, Livermore, and the unincorporated areas of Alameda County, the number of hospitalizations has remained manageable.
“We haven’t seen case like New York City, where hospitals were overrun by covid-19 patients,” Moss said. A surge of covid-19 cases during the winter season, along with patients who have similar maladies, inundating local hospitals with patients remains a concern, he added.
SF Chronicle, July 30, 2020
Predicting a “major surge” in critical coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, San Francisco officials said Thursday they will shift non-Covid-19 patients to a new inpatient facility in the Presidio if it becomes necessary to clear hospital beds for virus patients. The temporary medical center will be set up in a pair of warehouses behind the Palace of Fine Arts on Gorgas Avenue, and will treat up to 93 patients who are not infected with the coronavirus, county officials said.
The announcement comes as San Francisco is seeing a significant uptick in people hospitalized with Covid-19: The number reached 109 Thursday, up from 26 six weeks ago, Dr. Grant Colfax, the city’s public health director, said Thursday. Of those currently hospitalized with the coronavirus, one quarter — about 27 patients — are in intensive care, he said.
East Bay Times, July 31, 2020
Fed up with the state and county rules not allowing hair salons to re-open in Alameda County because of the coronavirus pandemic, some in the Tri-Valley region are taking matters into their own hands. On Saturday, as many as 50 plus interested stylists and salon owners are coming together in Pleasanton to discuss a protest — in the form of opening up for at least one day to show that they can safely reopen and follow guidelines.
Hayward Chamber of Commerce, July 31, 2020
Eligible businesses in unincorporated Alameda County can receive a one-time reimbursement grant of up to $5,000 for Covid-19 related business adaptations such as interior and exterior reconfigurations including curbside or storefront pick-up and delivery, partitions, personal protection equipment, temporary signage, outdoor seating (to encourage social distancing) and other required adaptations. Applications will be accepted until Aug. 7. For additional information, contact Jamie Orfanos of the
Alameda County Community Development Agency
in Hayward at 224 W. Winton Ave., (510) 670-6107.
City News, July 29, 2020
The City of Hayward is waiving all permitting fees, providing streamlined processing and offering personal assistance if needed for restaurants citywide interested in starting dining service outdoors.
Livermore Independent, July 29, 2020
Efforts to improve the use of face coverings downtown Livermore have yielded results in recent weeks. During the first few weeks of outdoor dining, city staff tallied compliance and found roughly half the people in compliance. Since then, the city has employed a number of strategies to increase compliance, including social-media messaging and placing notices near the entries where streets are closed. Starting last week, city staff members approached people not wearing masks and offered a free mask, which City Manager Marc Roberts said was generally “well received.” More recent surveys downtown show face mask compliance at about 80 to 90%.
Website Update, July 29, 2020
Covered California announced on Wednesday that it would give consumers additional time to sign up for health care coverage during the pandemic by extending the current special-enrollment deadline to the end of August. In addition, consumers who sign up through
CoveredCA.com
may find out that they are eligible for no-cost or low-cost coverage through Medi-Cal, which they can enroll in online.
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Associated Press, July 31, 2020
Once a coronavirus vaccine is approved as safe and effective, Americans should have widespread access within a reasonable time, Dr. Anthony Fauci assured lawmakers Friday. Appearing before a House panel investigating the nation’s response to
the pandemic
, Fauci expressed “cautious” optimism that a vaccine would be available, particularly by next year. “I believe, ultimately, over a period of time in 2021, that Americans will be able to get it,” Fauci said, referring to the vaccine.
Nature, July 30, 2020
An experimental coronavirus vaccine seems to have completely prevented infection in most monkeys that received the jab. Scientists gave 32 rhesus macaques a single dose of one of 7 vaccines (N. B. Mercado
et al
.
Nature
http://doi.org/d5d4
; 2020). Each vaccine comprised a weakened respiratory virus coding for one of seven forms of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein. After vaccination, nearly all the monkeys made neutralizing antibodies — powerful immune molecules that can block infection — and T cells that trigger other immune responses. When monkeys were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the most potent of the vaccines prevented lung infection in six out of six animals that received it, and nasal infection in five out of six.
NY Times, July 30, 2020
Infected children
have at least as much of the coronavirus in their noses and throats
as infected adults, according to the research. Indeed, children younger than age 5 may host up to 100 times as much of the virus in the upper respiratory tract as adults, the authors found.
That measurement does not necessarily prove children are passing the virus to others. Still, the findings should influence the debate over reopening schools, several experts said.
“The school situation is so complicated — there are many nuances beyond just the scientific one,” said Dr. Taylor Heald-Sargent, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, who led the study, published in JAMA Pediatrics. “But one takeaway from this is that we can’t assume that just because kids aren’t getting sick, or very sick, that they don’t have the virus.”
NY Times, July 30, 2020
In a year of endless viral outbreaks, the details of the Diamond Princess tragedy seem like ancient history. On Jan. 20, one infected passenger boarded the cruise ship; a month later, more than 700 of the 3,711 passengers and crew members had tested positive, with many falling seriously ill.
I
n
a new report
,
a research team based at Harvard and the Illinois Institute of Technology has tried to tease out the ways in which the virus passed from person to person in the staterooms, corridors and common areas of the Diamond Princess. It found that the virus spread most readily in microscopic droplets that were light enough to float in the air, for several minutes or much longer.
The new findings, if confirmed, would have major implications for making indoor spaces safer and choosing among a panoply of personal protective gear. For example, ventilation systems that “turn over” or replace the air in a room or building as often as possible, preferably drawing on external air to do so, should make indoor spaces healthier. But good ventilation is not enough; the Diamond Princess was well ventilated and the air did not recirculate, the researchers noted. So wearing good-quality masks — standard surgical masks, or cloth masks with multiple layers rather than just one — will most likely be needed as well, even in well-ventilated spaces where people are keeping their distance.
ABC News, July 31, 2020
While individuals can take steps to protect themselves, a growing body of research suggests that indoor spaces with poor ventilation or lack of new air can raise the risk of the virus' spread, according to infectious disease aerobiologist Dr. Donald Milton of the University of Maryland. “Anytime we are going into a closed environment, we are at higher risk,” Milton told ABC News. He added that he was most concerned about people “going to a cooling center where ... the air conditioning is not filtering air or bringing in outside air -- and a lot of people are close together.”
Bloomberg, July 31, 2020
New York City has kept its Covid-19 infection rates low, but the risk of a resurgence looms over the Big Apple as fall approaches. The city has been a success story in combating Covid-19 since March and April, when the pandemic swept through its boroughs killing thousands of people. Yet the strategies that helped suppress the first surge -- dropping the infection rate to just 1% statewide -- will be tested as cooler weather pushes people together indoors. Melbourne, Australia, with 5 million people, offers a case in point. With the Fahrenheit dropping into the 50s, Melbourne has seen an upswing in cases, a foreboding indicator of how tough it may be for cities like New York to control infections as the mercury drops.
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Mercury News, July 31, 2020
With one day left to go, July has already amounted to California’s worst month of the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of cases and deaths. But, as it comes to a close, there were signs that the spread of the virus had begun to slow. The average number of new cases was at its lowest level in 11 days, about 8,852 per day over the past week, while the rolling seven-day average positivity rate had fallen to 7% for the first time since July 1.
LA Times, July 31, 2020
On consecutive days, California broke its daily record, with 174 deaths on Tuesday and 189 deaths on Wednesday. L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis stressed the need for businesses to comply with the county’s health orders during a news briefing Thursday afternoon. That includes reporting any outbreak of three or more cases of the virus to the county and alerting all workers who may have been exposed to a person with a known case, he said.
SF Chronicle, July 31, 2020
Longtime residents and state officials say the situation in Imperial County has shed light on how the coronavirus has disproportionately harmed two vulnerable groups all over California: agricultural workers and the Latino community. Lessons learned from the state’s aggressive intervention in Imperial helped officials prepare to fight a surge hitting rural counties in the Central Valley.
A month ago, Gov. Newsom called on Imperial County to do something he hadn’t asked any other part of the state to do: halt the reopening of its economy and move backward. The coronavirus’ spread in Imperial County has slowed — it has averaged about 30 new cases per day per 100,000 people over the last week, compared with 126 daily at the peak of its surge in mid-June.
SF Chronicle, July 30, 2020
California has now processed more than 9 million claims since mid-March, paying a total of $55.1 billion in benefits, according to the Employment Development Department. Economists point out that unemployment claims tell only a small part of the story. Stop-and-start reopenings, closures both temporary and permanent, and backlogs in state unemployment insurance systems cloud the figures.
LA Times, July 30, 2020
In the early days of coronavirus testing, California public health officials teamed up with private industry executives for an immediate impact. The group, established by Gov. Gavin Newsom, added over 100 new test sites in three weeks, launched partnerships with new innovative labs, and managed the flow of swabs, chemicals and gear through the state’s sprawling new testing infrastructure. But as the state now grapples with surging infection rates and looming test supply shortages, the task force has shrunk in size and influence. Dozens of task force members have departed and not been replaced, and the senior health official who oversaw the team has resigned.
Sacramento Bee, July 31, 2020
The state Department of General Services has received 188 ventilators out of 8,000 promised by Ashli Healthcare Inc. of Bakersfield, the state’s main supplier, department spokeswoman Monica Hassan said this week. Ashli was supposed to have delivered more than 1,000 by the end of July and another 3,500 in August, with the balance of the shipments due in September. Hassan said the department is now trying to find ventilators through other sources.
San Diego Union-Tribune, July 30, 2020
Beaches in San Diego County and other parts of California are suffering the effects of the pandemic, as visitors have left behind a steady stream of trash, including disposable face masks, plastic takeout containers and other items, according to environmental groups that collect and track beach pollution.
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Associated Press, July 31, 2020
While deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are mounting rapidly, public health experts are seeing a flicker of good news: The second surge of confirmed cases appears to be leveling off.
Scientists aren’t celebrating by any means, warning that the trend is driven by four big, hard-hit places — Arizona, California, Florida and Texas — and that cases are rising in close to 30 states in all, with the outbreak’s center of gravity seemingly shifting from the Sun Belt toward the Midwest. Some experts wonder whether the apparent caseload improvements will endure. It’s also not clear when deaths will start coming down. COVID-19 deaths do not move in perfect lockstep with the infection curve, for the simple reason that it can take weeks to get sick and die from the virus.
Vox, July 31, 2020
A Vox analysis indicates the vast majority of states report alarming trends across all three benchmarks for coronavirus outbreaks. Most states still report a high — sometimes very high — number of daily new Covid-19 cases. Most still have high infection rates. Across these benchmarks, only three states — Maine, New York, and Vermont — fare well on all three, meaning their epidemics are relatively under control for now.
USA Today, July 30, 2020
At a time when the nation is reeling from the twin crises of an economic downturn and a global pandemic, long-standing gaps in pay are exacerbating the struggles of many Black women and Latinas who can barely make ends meet. Among Latinas, 51% do not currently have enough money to pay for basic needs like food and housing, while 48% of Black women cannot cover such fundamental expenses, according to a survey commissioned by the Time's Up Foundation.
NY Times, July 31, 2020
Contact tracing, a cornerstone of the public health arsenal to tamp down the coronavirus across the world, has largely failed in the United States; the virus’s pervasiveness and major lags in testing have rendered the system almost pointless. In some regions, large swaths of the population have refused to participate or cannot even be located, further hampering health care workers.
Wall Street Journal, July 31, 2020
In the U.S., 10% of small-business owners are Latino immigrants. When the pandemic hit, wreaking havoc on small businesses around the country, only 29% of those owners applied for assistance from the government. That’s in contrast to nearly 80% of small businesses overall who have applied for aid.
The discrepancy reflects the particular challenges faced by small businesses owned by immigrants in times of crisis.
Many immigrants run their businesses from their personal bank accounts and don’t have the kind of close relationships with lenders that facilitate access to credit, said Anette Landeros, CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It’s also common for immigrants to run their businesses with help from their immediate family, which means they might not have the payroll paperwork needed to apply for government assistance. And then there’s the language barrier, which can add another hurdle to an already complicated process of getting government assistance.
Fast Company, July 30, 2020
Amid a surge in demand for masks, governments and businesses have turned to L.A.’s Garment District, the country’s largest apparel manufacturing hub, to help curb the plague. But according to advocacy groups and researchers, these same factories—many of them cramped and poorly ventilated—have also become dangerous vectors for transmission. “Factories are producing personal protective equipment while not offering it to their workers,” says Alex Sanchez, a field organizer from advocacy group the Garment Worker Center. “Workers don’t have sick leave so if they get sick, they come to work sick.”
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SF Chronicle, July 31, 2020
Frustrated Bay Area families already know classes will be online when school starts in the coming weeks, but many still have no idea when their K-12 students will have to log on for lessons or how many hours of live instruction they would get. That’s because districts are still hammering out those details with teachers unions and, in many cases, those negotiations are tense if not near an impasse, even though school starts for some in 10 days. These agreements will dictate what teachers are expected to do when it comes to distance learning, how many hours they will be expected to work each day and how much time will be spent on live instructions, among many other working conditions.
LA Times, July 30, 200
USC has detected around 40 positive Covid-19 cases involving individuals living on 28th Street in LA, where many fraternity groups associated with the university are based, said Dr. Sarah Van Orman, USC’s chief student health officer. “A significant number of the cases were associated with four fraternity houses,” Van Orman said.
Many schools, including UCLA and USC, have moved the vast majority of fall semester classes online and canceled events; limited the availability of on-campus housing to decrease density; added mask, social-distancing and symptom-checking measures; and are regularly reporting infection data. Still, as students continue to return officially and unofficially, on-campus and off, universities face a daunting worry: Can the spread of Covid-19 at colleges be stopped?
EdSource, July 30, 2020
Colleges, students and faculty members may be unsure of what lies ahead as they brace for another mostly virtual academic term amid a pandemic, but the crisis could force California’s higher education systems to improve.
The state’s colleges and universities could use the current crisis to build better partnerships across the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges and private institutions to increase access and improve graduation rates. The pandemic is teaching Californians that basic needs for students don’t just include food and housing, but access to broadband internet and digital devices.
“What’s become clear is that if you are a student in California and would like to go to school this fall and don’t have digital access, then you do not have access to education,” said Lande Ajose, a senior policy advisor for higher education to Gov. Newsom.
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HealthDay, July 31, 2020
With school reopenings just a few weeks away, a report on how the new coronavirus spread rapidly through a summer camp in Georgia suggests kids transmit the virus very well. Nearly 600 young campers and counselors attended the camp in late June, and of the 344 who were tested for Covid-19, 76% tested positive by mid-July. Three-quarters of the Covid-19 cases for which information was available involved symptoms, including sore throat, headache and fever.
Campers, who averaged 12 years of age, hadn't been required to wear masks although camp staff wore masks, the researchers said. There was also a "variety of indoor and outdoor activities, including daily vigorous singing and cheering" -- prime activities for the spread of breath droplets laden with coronavirus.
NY Times, July 31, 2020
Based on current infection rates, more than 80 percent of Americans live in a county where at least one infected person would be expected to show up to a school of 500 students and staff in the first week, if school started today.
In the highest-risk areas — including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and Las Vegas — at least five students or staff would be expected to show up infected with the virus at a school of 500 people. The high numbers reflect the rapid spread of the virus in those areas, where more than 1 in 70 people are estimated to be currently infected.
USA Today, July 31, 2020
As the pandemic drags on, it's clear that not all kids are all right. Nearly 3 in 10 parents said their
child is experiencing emotional or mental harm
because of social distancing and school closures, according to a nationwide Gallup poll in June. The children most negatively affected are those who were already disadvantaged by food or housing instability, domestic violence, unsafe neighborhoods, fragmented families or absent role models. "The dilemma teachers face in a virtual environment is that they likely know who struggles the most with poverty and other difficulties, and yet virtually they have to treat everyone more or less equal," Frank Ghinassi, behavioral health leader at Rutgers University, said.
NY Times, July 31, 2020
Doctors affiliated with the two New York schools mailed students antidepressants or birth control pills, teachers added families who could no longer pay bills to their personal cellphone plans, and administrators gave cash grants to parents who had lost jobs. All of this was in addition to
ensuring schoolwork was adapted for remote learning.
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Covid-19 survivor urges people to wear masks
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It’s been over a month since Jill Johnston of Jackson, Missouri, tested positive for Covid-19, but for her nothing is the same.
Johnston said she didn’t believe she would ever get it.
“I always prided myself for being a runner, not smoking and trying to be healthy,” she said. But she said Covid-19 has a mind of its own.“Can’t say that healthy people won’t get it and non-healthy people will,” she said. And now, Johnston said if you get Covid-19, people look at you differently.
“There’s a stigma attached that people are a little squeamish, even health care providers are squeamish, about having us around and that does not help the Covid patient at all,” she said.
Johnston said just last week her doctor told her to go to a radiologist, but when they found out she had tested positive, they wanted to move the appointment back.
“I had to stand my ground and say this is my health. I need this test and my doctor feels like there is probably a blood clot there,” she said.
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She said thankfully they finally understood, because the doctor sent her back to the hospital. Johnston said she’s not sure what’s next but hopes to feel better soon. “I am really looking forward to having my old self back.”
Johnston said if she could go back, she would wear a mask from the beginning of the pandemic. She encourages everyone to wear theirs so they don’t have to go through what she is dealing with.
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BBC, July 31, 2020
Vietnam has recorded its first Covid-19 fatalities, in a devastating blow for a country proud of its zero deaths. Two persons have died. There had been no new locally transmitted infections for more than three months, before an outbreak was reported in the nearby resort of Da Nang earlier this week. The country, which has a population of around 95 million, has reported just 546 cases since the pandemic began.
KQED, July 31, 2020
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world, some of the largest outbreaks are in countries that fall into one particular economic category. They're not rich. They're not poor. They're middle-income. In fact, of the countries reporting the most cases globally, 6 of 7 are middle-income nations. Middle-income countries are defined by the
World Bank
as having annual per capita income between $1,000 and $12,000. The U.S., by comparison (the one high-income country in the top 7) has an average annual income of $66,000.
LA Times, July 31, 2020
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced Friday that the government will postpone highly anticipated legislative elections by one year, citing a worsening coronavirus outbreak. The semi-autonomous city’s government is invoking an emergency ordinance in delaying the elections. Lam said the government has the support of the Communist regime in Beijing in making the decision. The city of 7.5 million people has seen a surge in coronavirus infections since the beginning of July. Hong Kong has recorded 3,273 infections as of Friday, more than double the tally on July 1. The government has tightened social distancing restrictions, limiting public gatherings to two people, and banned dining in at restaurants after 6 p.m.
NY Times, July 31, 2020
How Italy has gone from being a
global pariah
to a model — however imperfect — of viral containment holds fresh lessons for the rest of the world, including the United States, where the virus, never under control, now rages across the country. After a stumbling start, Italy has consolidated, or at least maintained, the rewards of a tough nationwide lockdown through a mix of vigilance and painfully gained medical expertise
.
NPR, July 30, 2020
As the coronavirus keeps surging in Mexico — where the government registers more than 400,000 confirmed cases and more than 45,000 fatalities, the world's fourth-highest death toll — families are hurting across the country. But low earners have been doubly hit: They make up the highest share of virus-related deaths and lack the funds to stay afloat as the pandemic plunges Mexico deeper into recession. Now pressure is rising on the government to improve its health response and offer financial help to those in need.
Politico, July 30, 2020
Only a few countries have opened schools nationwide in the manner the Trump administration is pushing. They include Norway, France and New Zealand, as well as Nicaragua, Taiwan and Vietnam. On the other hand, 143 countries have
instituted country-wide closures
.
Countries with open schools tend to fall into two categories. Some took swift action against the pandemic in January to minimize disruption. Others were less proactive in the fight against Covid-19, but they prioritized education in their recovery plan, coordinated by the top levels of government. The United States did neither. That lumps the U.S. in the same ranks as most of the developing world, including large swathes of Africa, South America and Asia, that are keeping children home.
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Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Atlantic, July 31, 2020
I am an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and a lifelong resident of our ancestral lands. This is my first pandemic, but not my tribe’s. Covid-19 is merely our sovereign nation’s latest test of resilience.
After comparing Covid-19 response models from Europe and Asia, tribal health officials identified
South Korea’s model
of mass testing, contact tracing, and isolation of cases as the most effective and adaptable for our situation. They argued that those best practices, in addition to public education and quarantine, would be essential for keeping the tribe safe.
Tribal leaders did not wait for state and federal guidelines.
Although nonessential tribal government employees returned to work on June 22, those who come in close contact with children or elders were required to produce negative tests prior to reporting to job sites. The chief mandated face coverings across the boundary effective June 26. And the EBCI implemented a strict protocol for prisoner detention, which involves paying other counties to hold prisoners who tested negative so that our facilities have the space to safely isolate prisoners with Covid-19. The tribe’s statistics show remarkable success thanks to the tribe taking action and members following protocols.
Mercury News, July 31, 2020
An astounding 8 out of 10 coronavirus deaths have been adults 65 and older, according to CDC. Data from the California Department of Public Health shows similar numbers in California, where those 65 and older account for 76% of all coronavirus deaths.
Racial disparities are also apparent in the data on who is dying. California’s Latino population has suffered a disproportionate share of coronavirus deaths. Latinos make up 39% of the Golden State’s population but 46% of all coronavirus deaths. The white population is nearly the same size — 37% — but when it comes to deaths only 30% of those who have died so far in the pandemic were white
The racial disparities are even worse when looking at just those between 65 and 79 years old. California’s Latino population skews young, so Latinos make up just 22% of this age cohort, but still account for 48% of coronavirus deaths. White people make up 54% of this age group and just 28% of deaths.
Professor Michael Kinch, STAT, July 31, 2020
I want to temper expectations with a dose of realism and perhaps a bit of angst. Behind the proud declarations, many science and medical professionals have been whispering concerns. Premature approval of a sub-standard Covid-19 vaccine could have dire implications, and not just for this pandemic. It could harm public health for years, if not generations, to come.
Professor Zeynep Tufekci, The Atlantic, July 30, 2020
How is it that six months into a respiratory pandemic, we still have so little guidance about this all-important variable, the very air we breathe?
People don’t
emit an equal amount of aerosols during every activity
: Singing emits more than talking, which emits more than breathing. And some people could be super-emitters of aerosols. But that’s not all. The super-spreader–event triad seems to rely on three V’s: venue, ventilation, and vocalization. Most super-spreader events occur at an
indoor
venue, especially a
poorly ventilated
one (meaning air is not being exchanged, diluted, or filtered), where lots of people are talking, chanting, or singing. Some examples of where super-spreader events have taken place are restaurants, bars, clubs, choir practices, weddings, funerals, cruise ships, nursing homes, prisons, and meatpacking plants.
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Alameda County Data
:
Over the last two weeks, officials have confirmed 2,504 new cases, which amounts to 152 per 100,000. The number of confirmed infections is currently doubling every 52.9 days.
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Contra Costa County Data
: Over the last two weeks, officials have confirmed 2,253 new cases, which amounts to 199 per 100,000. The number of confirmed infections is currently doubling every 36 days.
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Top 8 Locations of Cases in Alameda County
, cases as of 7/30/20
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Oakland:
4,458
Hayward:
1,580
Eden MAC: 656
Fremont: 628
San Leandro: 578
Livermore:
469
Union City: 337
Castro Valley:
303
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Top 8 Locations of Cases in Contra Costa County
, cases as of 7/30/20
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Richmond: 1,595
Antioch: 957
Concord: 890
Pittsburgh:
748
San Pablo: 670
Walnut Creek: 361
Bay Point: 358
Brentwood: 318
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We are proud to partner with the
East Bay Community Foundation
in publishing this bulletin. Through donations to its
COVID-19 Response Fund
,
the EBCF provides grants to East Bay nonprofit organizations delivering essential services to those most impacted by the economic fallout from the pandemic.
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We have posted information on food pantries and food services in the cities of Hayward and San Leandro and unincorporated Alameda County including Castro Valley and San Lorenzo. You can access the information
here on our website
. Alameda County has also released an
interactive map
listing food distributions and other social services.
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Your feedback is welcome. Please share the Bulletin.
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The
Eden Health District Board of Directors
are Gordon Galvan, Chair, Mariellen Faria, Vice Chair, Charles Gilcrest, Secretary-Treasurer, Roxann Lewis and Pam Russo. 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.
Each bulletin includes a summary of the top health, Bay Area, California, national and international news on the pandemic plus links to a diverse range of commentary and analysis. We publish the Bulletin on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
We welcome your feedback on our bulletin. Please contact editor
Stephen Cassidy
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