Walk-up Covid-19 testing facility in Santa Clara County, Calif. (Santa Clara County Public Health)
As the GOP mulls their own stimulus proposal, millions of unemployed people Sunday are certifying their last two weeks of benefits that will include the extended pandemic benefits.
Covid-19 infections in just Oakland have surpassed the number of cases reported in three Bay Area counties.
Here’s what’s going on in the Bay Area and beyond.
Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Sunday at 11:34 a.m.
In addition to the revised school reopening guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, the CDC also updated the isolation and testing requirements for people who have contracted the virus.
Aimed at people with mild to moderate symptoms, the CDC now says:
“For most persons with COVID-19 illness, isolation and precautions can generally be discontinued 10 days after symptom onset and resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other symptoms.”
The 10-day guidance does not apply to confirmed cases among people with compromised immune systems who display symptoms for longer periods of time.
The new guidance also discourages people from seeking a second, hopefully negative, test after they’ve recovered.
According to a Department of Labor report issued Thursday, 1,416,000 initial unemployment claims were filed in the week ending July 18, a slight increase from the week prior. Florida and Georgia experienced the highest increases in initial claims for the week ending July 11.
Nearly 32 million people were claiming unemployment benefits in all UI programs in the week ending July 4. Of those, more than 13 million were participating in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which expires this month.
Sunday is the last weekly certification available to people receiving PUA benefits with the additional $600 weekly granted by the federal CARES Act. The White House administration and Senate Republicans have been working on a stimulus proposal they plan to unveil Monday, but it is expected that their version will greatly reduce the $600 weekly pandemic benefit in favor of benefits that cover 70 percent of recipients’ prior income. They have said a $1,200 stimulus check is likely, but the delay in the GOP proposal will create a lag in those potential payments, long after the last PUA checks are cut.
House Democrats passed the HEROES Act in May, which would have extended the weekly benefit among other key stimulus efforts. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to take it up for a vote.
The number of positive cases in Florida has passed reporting out of New York, placing the state just behind California for the second highest number of confirmed infections. There are now less than 25,000 separating Florida from California, where the population is just about double.
Open SFBay USA coronavirus tracker.Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Sunday at 11:34 a.m.
According to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Friday press briefing, hospitalization rates are still increasing but the 9 percent 14-day average reflected a “modest decline” in the rate of increase. However, Newsom said:
“That is nothing to jump up and down about. It’s just a fact.”
A battle brewing over operation of a water amusement park in Shasta County is coming to a head Monday. WaterWorks Park has refused to shut down despite health orders to do so. Park officials told the county in writing that they did not intend to close until Aug. 3, according to a statement made by Jill Haskett, the county’s public information officer.
The county has responded by revoking the park’s public pool permit, effective Monday.
Haskett said:
“Each day the park is open, large numbers of unrelated people, some from outside the area, gather in the park without social distancing or face coverings.”
Source: Alameda County Public Health Department as of Saturday with data reported through Friday.
Alameda County sheriff’s Deputy Oscar Rocha died Thursday evening due to Covid-19 complications, according to a statement issued by the sheriff’s officials. In a Twitter post, officials said the 25-year department veteran “put up a courageous fight to the end.”
Friday, sheriff’s officials announced that another non-sworn staff member also died from Covid-19.
The number of cumulative confirmed cases in just Oakland has surpassed total reporting in several counties. As of Saturday, Alameda County recorded 4,082 cases in Oakland — Hayward is reporting 1,499 confirmed infections, the second highest number of cases countywide. The city’s health officials are blaming recent large gatherings at Lake Merritt for the spike in cases in 18 to 50-year-olds and are considering establishing 6-foot distance markers similar to what San Francisco has done in populated park areas.
Dr. Noha Aboelata said:
“When we look at East Oakland, the case rates are two times or three times the rest of Oakland and they are doubling at a rapid rate.”
The county’s data on the impact in skilled nursing facilities highlight just how deadly the virus can be among the elderly and those with underlying causes. Though the 498 confirmed cases from SNFs represents less than 5 percent of the county’s cumulative cases, the 78 resulting deaths account for nearly 44 percent of the total death toll.
Nineteen SNF residents have died from just Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward.
The hospitalization rate is a major issue with the number of Covid-19 patients steadily rising and taxing the county’s medical system. As of last available data provided Thursday, 201 Covid-19 patients were hospitalized, 47 of whom were being treated in intensive care units.
Source: Contra Costa Health Services as of Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
The county’s seven-day average test positivity rate is 6.8 percent but the area’s seven-day average of daily new cases is soaring at 172 per day. The hospitalization rate is also sitting at a peak of 101 Covid-19 patients since Tuesday.
Two additional deaths were reported Wednesday and Thursday, the first from a long-term care facility and the other from the general public.
According to Friday health department data, officials are currently monitoring 15 active outbreaks among the county’s long-term care facilities. The California Department of Public Health has tracked 20 resident deaths at San Miguel Villa and an additional 12 at Manor Care Health Services – Tice Valley. Additional resident deaths have been reported at Orinda Care Center and at least one staff member from San Miguel Villa has died from Covid-19.
Source: Marin Health and Human Services as of Friday. CDCR data as of Saturday afternoon.
*Marin County began reporting San Quentin State Prison cases separately, but for the purposes of tracking actual infections and potential impact on the county, we’ve included inmate cases with the county’s cumulative total. Staff member infections are detailed below but are included in county of residence totals.
Excluding data from San Quentin State Prison, Marin County is reporting a total of 2,482 cumulative cases and 39 deaths. There are currently 99 Covid-19 patients hospitalized countywide, according to the last data made available.
San Quentin State Prison
An additional inmate death related to Covid-19 was reported Saturday, bringing the total San Quentin inmate death toll to 16. As of Saturday afternoon, the 2,142 cases so far confirmed among the facility’s incarcerated population translates to a staggering rate of 617 cases per 1,000 people. That rate drops to just shy of 70 per 1,000 people across the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation system — the standing California rate per 1,000 people is 10.9.
The facility infection total, including both inmates and staff, has reached 2,393 confirmed cases, cumulatively.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services as of Friday.
More than half of Napa County’s total cases are coming from the city of Napa. Also, more than half the area’s case count have been confirmed among the Hispanic population.
According to a weekly update issued Friday, the county continues recording more than 100 cases per week. Health officials noted a slight shift in demographics with more cases being seen in people in their 20s and 30s – the average age among confirmed cases dropped from 42 last week to 31 this week.
Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health as of Friday.
A new public health emergency order expanding San Francisco’s face covering policy became effective Friday morning. The new order mandates all people aged 10 and up wear a face covering in all situations within and when approaching a 6-foot distance from people outside their immediate households. It also requires that people use face coverings in public spaces inside shared buildings, such as in laundry rooms and hallways.
Health officials have not updated Covid-19 hospitalization counts since Tuesday — at that time there were 99 people hospitalized, leaving 23 percent of the area’s acute care beds available.
Source: San Mateo County Health Department with data reported through Friday.
Of the 117 Covid-19 deaths reported in the county, one person was between the ages of 40 and 49 and another was between 30 and 39 years old. As of Friday, 63 coronavirus patients were hospitalized, with 17 requiring ICU treatment. At last count, three staffed ICU beds remained available.
Long-term care facilities have taken the brunt of the county’s death toll — 78 Covid-19 deaths have stemmed from the area’s LTCFs.
Despite the rise in cases and related hospitalizations, the county has managed to remain off the state’s watchlist, making it the only Bay Area county to do so.
Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department as of Saturday.
Officials announced Saturday the use of wristbands at walk-up testing sites in San Jose and Gilroy. People can check in and be given a wristband designating a one-hour testing time slot later in the day. The system is meant to help people avoid waiting in long lines by giving them the opportunity to leave the site and return in their assigned hour. Nearly 340,000 tests have so far been administered.
The county’s Covid-19 hospitalization rate hit an all-time high Friday. According to data updated by health officials Sunday, there were a total of 178 confirmed coronavirus patients receiving hospital treatment, 51 of whom are in ICU beds.
Source: Solano Public Health as of Friday at 6 p.m.
Hospitalization data reflects that 49 Covid-19 patients were receiving hospital treatment as of Friday. That number nearly doubled when compared to the count recorded one month prior, on June 24, 2020.
According to cumulative hospitalization data, though the majority of patients have been over the age of 65, two were 17 years old or younger. A quarter of all county coronavirus hospital patients were between the ages of 18 and 49 — there have been three resulting deaths in that same age group.
Fairfield, with 1,062 cases, and Vallejo, with 1,035 cases, have been the hardest hit by the virus countywide. The number of infections in Fairfield is particularly alarming given the rapid increase in a short period of time.
Source: County of Sonoma with data as of Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
The county reported 93 additional confirmed infections between Friday and Saturday. According to data updated Saturday, the number of confirmed Covid-19 hospitalizations is currently at a peak of 44 patients, the record was first set July 19. That same update indicates that only five ICU beds remain available countywide.
Source: John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center COVID-19 global tracking tool as of Sunday at 11:35 a.m.
While the U.S. has outpaced every other country in terms of Covid-19 cases and deaths, Brazil and India are showing rapid case growth. Brazil is reporting nearly 2.4 million confirmed cases and India is approaching the 1.4 million mark.
Open SFBay Worldwide coronavirus tracker.Last modified July 26, 2020 10:24 pm
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