A banner showing respect to those battling with coronavirus on the front line is displayed on a pedestrian bridge in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Wednesday, April 22, 2020. (Ching Wong/SFBay.ca)
Bay Area counties are all considering whether to extend widespread shelter orders set to expire May 3. Solano County pulled the trigger late Friday and announced its extension until May 17, whereas San Francisco Mayor London Breed told residents Friday an extension was “very likely.”
Here’s a snapshot of the Covid-19 situation as of Friday around the Bay Area.
Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Friday at 6:52 p.m.
Open SFBay USA coronavirus tracker.Donald Trump signed the bipartisan $484 billion CARES 2 bill Friday morning, which in large part replenishes the Paycheck Protection Program, bolsters hospital resources and helps small businesses and farmers impacted by the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic obtain grants and loans.
Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Friday at 6:53 p.m.
Gov. Gavin Newsom applauded partnerships the state has forged in an effort to care for California seniors in need through the Covid-19 pandemic. In Friday’s daily press briefing, Newsom said the Federal Emergency Management Agency and restaurants will work together to deliver three healthy meals each day to millions of vulnerable seniors. Further information, including eligibility requirements, can be accessed by calling 211 or visiting COVID19.ca.gov.
The governor also announced the California Friendship line that can receive calls from anxious and lonely people but will also make wellness check calls to seniors. People can reach staff trained in aging adult needs by calling (888) 670-1360.
The Employment Development Department said Wednesday in a news release that the agency has processed 3.2 million claims in the six-week period ending April 18. More than $3 billion in Unemployment Insurance benefits have been paid out in that same timeframe, and include the $600 weekly stimulus enhancement payments. In the one week ending April 18, EDD said 533,568 claims were processed, representing a 1,000 percent increase when compared to the same week in the prior year.
Open SFBay Bay Area coronavirus dashboard in new window.Source: The Alameda County Public Health Department with data reported through Thursday and including Berkeley.
County officials reported that 81 people were hospitalized as of Wednesday and of those, 37 are being treated in intensive care units. The area’s zip code breakdown shows seven hotspots where the infection rate is at least 130 cases per 100,000 people. The highest concentrations are found in 94619, the Central East Oakland Millsmont neighborhood, and 94544, the same Hayward neighborhood where Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center is located.
Source: Contra Costa Health Services as of Friday at 11:30 a.m.
The implementation of an Emergency Child Care Program to benefit struggling healthcare and other essential workers was announced in a press release Friday. Media representative Tish Gallegos said the effort is a collaboration between the Employment and Human Services Department and several county “partners.”
The care will be provided in groups of 10 children or less and officials said the facilities will maintain high levels of sanitation and hygiene. Essential workers can contact http://www.cocokids.org/ to make a request and learn more about available providers.
According to city-specific information provided by the county, five cities have infection concentration rates of more than 141 cases per 100,000 people. The cases in Orinda are by far more concentrated than in any other place in the county — the city is experiencing an infection rate of 282 per 100,000 people. The next highest concentration is found in Bay Point with 163 people per 100,000 testing positive for Covid-19.
Orinda is also the location of a skilled nursing facility, Orinda Care Center, where an outbreak infected 30 patients and 28 staff members as of Sunday, according to the California Department of Public Health’s list of impacted state-licensed SNFs.
There are 32 people currently hospitalized for Covid-19 illness and approximately 62 percent of the county’s intensive care unit beds are in use.
Source: Marin Health and Human Services as of Friday.
The county’s data and surveillance page says Friday that information regarding daily cases and the number of people tested per day is incomplete for the period between April 15 and Wednesday due to “reporting delays.” A note with the data explains:
“Note that dates closer to the current date are subject to change as we are still waiting for test results to come in.”
As of Friday, three people countywide are currently hospitalized due to Covid-19.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services as of Friday.
County officials announced Thursday an expansion of free Covid-19 testing made possible by a collaboration with Community Organized Relief Effort and Verily. The effort is sponsored financially by Napa Valley Vintners. Frontline workers and farmworkers will take priority in this round of increased testing capacity, the news release indicated.
Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health with data through Thursday.
Mayor London Breed addressed The City Friday with a reality check on the shelter-at-home order set to expire May 3, saying it’s “very likely” the order will be extended. She did not provide a specific date, but she said:
“What that means is, you know, another few weeks or even a month of asking you all to comply and to remain at home and to continue to follow the social distancing orders that we put forth.”
The order was first enacted March 17 in collaboration with five other Bay Area counties. The initial expiration date of April 7 came and went with the first extension to May 3.
Breed also spoke about challenges The City is experiencing in ordering and receiving personal protective equipment. Some orders have not been received after purchase due to rerouting by suppliers and FEMA confiscation and redistribution of products intended for San Francisco.
A frustrated Breed said Friday:
“The fact that during the height of this pandemic we’re still having a conversation about PPE, it really does blow my mind.”
Health officials reported Friday that the West SoMa neighborhood, in the 94103 zip code, has been hardest hit with a rate of nearly 40 infections per 10,000 people. The Mission District and Bernal Heights in the 94110 zip code, where 184 residents have tested positive for Covid-19, have the highest number of total cases.
Overall, The City is reporting a 12 percent positive rate of the 13,168 tests conducted. Eighty-two confirmed patients were hospitalized as of Wednesday, 33 requiring ICU beds. The number of ICU beds in use has not been that high since April 8.
Of the 22 people who have died as a result, only one person was under the age of 60 years old.
Dolores Street Community Services confirmed that 22 residents and two staff members from Casa Quezada have tested positive for Covid-19. The 52-unit supportive housing single room occupancy hotel discovered its first case on April 13, according to DSCS, the organization that manages the SRO.
The organization said they contacted the Department of Public Health and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing asking for widespread testing at the facility, but those tests were not given until April 19.
Source: San Mateo County Health Department with data reported Thursday.
Health officials report that more people between the ages of 40 and 49 years old have contracted the virus than in any other age group, according to positive test results. By contrast, nobody in that same age group has died in San Mateo County as a result of Covid-19.
Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department as of Thursday.
As of Friday, face coverings are required for anyone in Milpitas over the age of 6 years old when visiting essential businesses, such as grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies. The Milpitas order is the first of its kind in Santa Clara County, where the Covid-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc.
The county on April 17 issued a guidance for face coverings but stopped short of an enforceable order and according to Board of Supervisors President Cindy Chavez, the board has no plans to take further action.
The county reports Friday that 176 Covid-19 patients are currently hospitalized — 86 people are being treated in ICU units. Of the more than 22,000 tests administered throughout the county, 9.16 percent of them returned positive results. Officials have not updated the number of cases identified at long-term care facilities since Tuesday when it was reported that 357 people tested positive, resulting in 50 hospitalizations and the deaths of 31 people.
Source: Solano Public Health as of Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Officials announced Friday that the county’s shelter-at-home orders will now be effective through May 17. In a news release, officials said the “extension is in line” with Newsom’s orders and the situation will be monitored and re-evaluated “as further medical and scientific data becomes available.”
The order directs residents to stay home unless they must go out for essential needs or to perform essential services.
The news comes on the same day San Francisco Mayor London Breed said it is “very likely” shelter orders will be extended in the county/city.
Of the county’s 22 active cases, half are currently hospitalized, health officials reported Friday afternoon.
Source: County of Sonoma with data as of Thursday at 8 p.m.
Open SFBay Worldwide coronavirus tracker.Last modified April 24, 2020 9:54 pm
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