Eden Health District COVID-19 Bulletin
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“
While we are moving forward, by no stretch of the imagination is this virus behind us
.”
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A Thunderous Salute to Frontline Workers
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It was hard for Bay Area residents not to see and hear the military plane escorted by two helicopters on Memorial Day, but they may not have realized it was a salute to frontline workers.
Conducted by the 129th Rescue Wing of the California Air National Guard out of Mountain View, an
aerial formation of one HC-130J Combat King II aircraft and two HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopter
passed over multiple Bay Area hospitals including Stanford Hospital, UCSF Medical Center, Alameda Hospital and Kaiser hospitals in Oakland and San Leandro.
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"The Wing airmen and I offer our sincerest gratitude to all the healthcare workers, first responders, service members, other essential personnel and all their families who have put our communities first by serving on the front lines during this pandemic," said Col. Taft O. Aujero, commander, 129th Rescue Wing. Source:
KGO 7 News
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"From the bottom of my heart, I couldn’t be anymore grateful,
” stated Miguel Cerezo. Staff at Los Robles Medical Center lined the halls to cheer him on as he left the hospital.
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In Thousand Oaks, California, 53-year old father Miguel Cerezo was recently released from the hospital after two months in the hospital, including 21 days on a ventilator and three close calls with death as he fought off Covid-19.
Throughout his three weeks in a medically induced coma, nurses read letters of strength and love from his family out loud, letters that Miguel read to himself as soon as he was able.
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Press Release, May 27, 2020
The testing center established by the Hayward Fire Department reached a new milestone on Tuesday, administering its 10,000th test for infection with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 disease. In addition to conducting drive-through testing on the Cal State University East Bay campus each business day, mobile teams of specifically trained Hayward firefighter-paramedics provide testing for residents and employees of nursing homes, East Bay police departments, and people who are experiencing homelessness. The Eden Health District is providing funding to pay for test kits and lab analysis.
East Bay Times, May 28, 2020
With Gov. Newsom’s blessing, several counties are ramping up their efforts to reopen stores, churches, barbershops and salons — steps that move the state into the third phase of its
four-phase reopening plan
.
But public health officials in the Bay Area have so far resisted pressure to follow suit, instead staying the course with a “slow and safe” approach that keeps those businesses waiting and watching — even as some restless residents push to resume normal life. Alameda County spokeswoman Neetu Balram similarly said officials are waiting between changes to see if they lead to new infections, noting that the county has seen an alarming uptick in cases a little more than three weeks after easing shelter in place orders in early May and one week after further revisions in the middle of the month.
East Bay Citizen, May 27, 2020
A recent bump in new covid-19 cases in Alameda County over the past week pushed the overall number of total cases over 3,000. Latinos in Alameda County continue to have the most covid-19 cases, making up more than 1,200 of the total cases. However, the rate of African Americans in the county who have died from complications due to Covid-19, remains the highest among all groups with 22 African Americans having died.
BuzzFeed News, May 27, 2020
In comments reported nationwide, Dr. Mike deBoisblanc, head of trauma at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, California, tol
d
local TV news
last week
that the hospital had seen "a year's worth of suicide attempts in the last four weeks." Questioned by BuzzFeed News, Dr. deBoisblanc admitted that there was no data directly linking the suicide attempts seen at the hospital to the lockdowns. According to the Contra Costa County Coroner's Office, since March, when quarantine began, the county has seen 26 deaths that were determined to be suicides. Last year, the county saw 30 suicides between March and May.
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Huffington Post, May 27, 2020
Lindsay Holmes, Wellness Editor, answers the questions of whether staying indoors and using an air conditioner puts us at a higher risk for contracting COVID-19, as well as the risk difference between being outside compared to being inside.
NY Times, May 28, 2020
The
early scientific advice
seemed to encourage people to treat surface contact with utmost seriousness. More recently,
research
has suggested that few people get the virus this way. The main transmission mechanism instead appears to be close contact with someone who has the virus, like talking face-to-face or sitting nearby in an indoor setting. Those situations expose people to enough of a “viral load” to become infected.
CBS News, May 27, 2020
New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that coronavirus antibody test results may still be too inaccurate to be reliably used to determine coronavirus-related policy. In addition, not enough is known about what exactly the presence of antibodies indicates in terms of future immunity, the
CDC said on its website
.
These tests, also known as serologic tests, are meant to detect antibodies people develop after becoming infected with the coronavirus - they are not the tests to determine if a person currently is infected with the coronavirus.
STAT, May 28, 2020
Led by UCSF Physician Diane Havlir, a coalition called Unidos en Salud pulled together one of the largest coronavirus testing studies in the nation. In a four-day blitz at the end of April, they swabbed and drew blood from 4,160 adults and children, including more than half of the residents in the 16 square blocks that make up San Francisco Census Tract 229.01. In the heart of the Mission District, it is one of the city’s most densely populated and heavily Latinx neighborhoods. While Havlir expected to see the Latinx community hit hard by the virus, the actual numbers came as a shock. About 2% of people tested positive for the coronavirus.
Nearly all of them — 95% — were Latinx
. The other 5% were Asian or Pacific Islander. Not a single white person tested positive, though 34% of the tract’s residents are white, according to the U.S. Census; 58% are Hispanic. The study also found that 53% of those who tested positive were asymptomatic, possibly transmitting the virus to others without realizing they had it themselves.
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Alameda County:
3,049
Contra Costa County:
1,375
California:
101,836
U.S.:
1,706,500
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Alameda County:
93
Contra Costa County:
37
California:
3,918
U.S.:
100,871
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Bay Area Checklist for Reopening
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With
coronavirus cases rising across the Bay Area
in recent days, four counties - Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Marin - have backtracked on one critical goal in the region’s established checklist for reopening: a flattened case count.
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LA Times, May 28, 2020
Even as California surpassed 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, many communities continued to push forward with reopening the economy with the hope that social distancing and other safety measures would prevent new outbreaks. From barber shops to shopping malls to restaurants, many businesses shuttered for months began to come back to life this week as government officials rapidly lifted stay-at-home orders that helped slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Gov. Newsom said
that a decision on reopening gyms
and fitness centers could be coming soon, another milestone.
Mercury News, May 28, 2020
New statewide data released Wednesday show nearly 1,700 staff and patients in nursing homes across California have died of the coronavirus, including almost 350 in a recent ten-day period. Overall, at least 1,693 people have died from cases that originated in nursing homes, including 342 between May 15 and May 25, according to the data, released by the state Department of Health Services. Skilled nursing homes and non-medical assisted living facilities have accounted for 52 percent of all recorded COVID-19 deaths in California. The data shows deaths at East Bay Post Acute, a Castro Valley nursing home, have climbed to 16, just two less than the Gateway Rehabilitation and Care Center in Hayward, which has 18.
SF Chronicle, May 27, 2020
Several weeks after it began lifting restrictions on some businesses, Sonoma County is holding off on reopening other services largely due to a recent rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, according to its health officer. Sonoma is among counties permitted to re-open in-store retail, salons and places of worship under recent state guidance. But health officer Dr. Sundari Mase said Wednesday the county will “for now” not amend its shelter-in-place order to include those services, citing increased case rates partly tied to workplace transmission.
Sacramento Bee, May 27, 2020
One of California’s most remote counties for months has prided itself on not having any confirmed cases of COVID-19. Earlier this month, it was among the first to win the go-ahead to begin reopening. And now, Lassen County in the state’s northeastern reaches is believed to be the first in California forced to retract its plan to reopen because of a potential new outbreak.
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Washington Post, May 28, 2020
Four months after the first novel coronavirus infection was
confirmed in the United States
, the virus has claimed
more than 100,000 lives
.
President Trump noted the “very sad milestone” with a tweet on Thursday morning: “To all of the families & friends of those who have passed, I want to extend my heartfelt sympathy & love for everything that these great people stood for & represent. God be with you!”
Associated Press, May 28, 2020
An estimated 2.1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country, bringing the running total since the coronavirus shutdowns took hold in mid-March to about 41 million, the government said Thursday. In a glimmer of hope, the number of those now collecting benefits in the U.S. fell for the first time since the crisis began, from 25 million to 21 million, suggesting some companies are starting to rehire. Still, the Labor Department report underscored the continuing economic damage from the viral outbreak that on Wednesday hit a confirmed death toll in the U.S. of 100,000, more than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
The Hill, May 28, 2020
The White House will not release an updated round of economic projections this summer, breaking from precedent as the U.S. faces its deepest downturn since the Great Depression, two administration officials familiar with the decision confirmed to The Hill on Thursday. The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), the internal White House economic team, will not release the typical midsummer review of its initial economic projections in July or August even as top Trump administration officials publicly predict a swift recovery from the crisis caused by Covid-19.
USA Today, May 27, 2020
The social distancing measures widely adopted throughout the country succeeded in slowing down the virus’ spread, as borne out by the diminished rates of new infections and deaths in May, but not enough to keep the U.S. from reaching the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths. USA Today reports on what experts in a variety of fields, including public health, business, history, social sciences and the hospitality industry expect the "new normal" may look like in the next 100 days.
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BuzzFeed News, May 27, 2020
New Zealand no longer has a single person being treated in a hospital for the coronavirus, health officials there announced Wednesday, as the country celebrates five consecutive days of no new cases of the virus. There are just 21 remaining active cases of Covid-19 among New Zealand's 4.8 million people, Ashley Bloomfield, the head of the country's health ministry, said. The country has had a total of 1,504 confirmed or probable cases of the virus and only 21 deaths.
NY Times, May 28, 2020
Official case counts often substantially underestimate the number of coronavirus infections. But even in results from a new set of studies that test the population more broadly to estimate everyone who has been infected, the percentage of people who have been infected so far is still in the single digits. The numbers are a fraction of the threshold known as herd immunity, at which the virus can no longer spread widely. The precise herd immunity threshold for the novel coronavirus is not yet clear; but several experts said they believed it would be higher than 60 percent.
Washington Post, May 28, 2020
Even allowing for different testing policies and counting methods, and questions over full disclosure of cases, stark differences in mortality across the world have caught the attention of researchers trying to crack the
coronavirus
code. Parts of Asia reacted quickly to the threat and largely started social distancing earlier on. But researchers are also examining other factors, including differences in genetics and immune system responses, separate virus strains and regional contrasts in obesity levels and general health.
B
loomberg, May 28, 2020
In March, when Covid-19 was stamping out lives across the globe, Latin America looked like it might escape relatively unharmed. Its governments chose vastly different approaches to confronting the pandemic, from severe lockdown in El Salvador and Peru to relative laxness in Brazil and Mexico. But as May heads into June, the news could hardly be more dire for the highly urbanized region of 600 million inhabitants, or about 8% of the world’s population. It is, without question, the new epicenter of coronavirus, representing about 40% of daily deaths globally now. Brazil set to pass death count of France, Spain in coming days.
Bloomberg, May 28, 2020
Moscow’s health department said the death toll linked to Covid-19 in April was more than twice initial reports once the count was broadened to include cases related to the coronavirus. The capital of 12.7 million people accounts for nearly half of Russia’s 379,051 Covid-19 cases, the third-largest number in the world.
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5 ways to prevent another 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the US (and beyond)
Tom Frieden, former CDC Director, Vox, May 27, 2020
As we hit a gruesome milestone of 100,000 reported deaths from the novel coronavirus in the US, we must focus on the single most important part of the response: saving the most lives. To achieve this, public health specialists must guide and political leaders must fully support five things at the core of public health.
William Wan, national correspondent, & Carolyn Johnson, science reporter, Washington Post, May 27, 2020
There’s a good chance the
coronavirus
will never go away. Even after a vaccine is discovered and deployed, the coronavirus will likely remain for decades to come, circulating among the world’s population. Think measles, HIV, chickpox. But experts in epidemiology, disaster planning and vaccine development say embracing that reality is crucial to the next phase of America’s pandemic response. The long-term nature of Covid-19, they say, should serve as a call to arms for the public, a road map for the
trillions of dollars
Congress is spending and a fixed navigational point for the nation’s current,
chaotic
state-by-state
patchwork strategy
.
Politico, May 27, 2020
Federal and state officials across the country have altered or hidden public health data crucial to tracking the coronavirus' spread, hindering the ability to detect a surge of infections as President Donald Trump pushes the nation to reopen rapidly. In at least a dozen states, health departments have inflated testing numbers or deflated death tallies by changing criteria for who counts as a coronavirus victim and what counts as a coronavirus test.
BuzzFeed News, May 27, 2020
A week ago, the CDC gave new estimates of the total fatality rate of the virus, ranging from about 0.1% (its least deadly scenario) to 0.8% (its deadliest scenario). While no one yet knows the coronavirus’s actual death rate, the agency’s range of possible rates seemed alarmingly low to many epidemiologists, compared to existing data in places both inside and outside the US. For instance, estimates of New York City’s total death rate, 0.86% to 0.93%, are even higher than the CDC’s worst-case scenario.
Kaiser Health News, May 28, 2020
The “stay at home awhile longer” advice recognizes that older adults are more likely to become critically ill and die if infected with the virus. At highest risk are seniors with underlying medical conditions such as heart, lung or autoimmune diseases. Yet after two months at home, many want to go out into the world again. It is discouraging for them to see people of other ages resume activities. They feel excluded. Still, they want to be safe.
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Eden Area Food Pantries
We have gathered 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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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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Your feedback is welcome. Please share the Bulletin.
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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.
Please share our bulletin with your contacts. If you would like to submit feedback or stories on the local response to the pandemic,
please contact bulletin editor Stephen Cassidy at
[email protected]
. And if you are operating a local food bank and would like your organization profiled in our nonprofit spotlight, please contact us.
The
Eden Health District Board of Directors
are Gordon Galvan, Chair, Mariellen Faria, Vice Chair, Charles Gilcrest, Secretary, Roxann Lewis and Pam Russo. The Chief Executive Officer is Mark Friedman.
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