UPDATE: See today’s latest information

Huge 2-week increase in Vacaville cases, over 1600 in 14 days

By Roger Straw, December 31, 2020 [Sources: see below.] [Editor: This will be an abbreviated report. Solano Public Health worked all day, and so did I – but I’m taking the evening off for New Year’s! – R.S.]

Thursday, December 31: 203 new Solano cases overnight, no new deaths. Since Feb: 19,211 cases, more than 750 hospitalized, 98 deaths.Compare previous report, Wednesday, Dec. 30:Summary

- Solano County reported 203 new cases overnight. In just the last 14 days, Solano has seen an increase of 4,383 new cases. We’re averaging 313 (!) new cases every day! (source: covid19.ca.gov) Total of 19,211 cases since the outbreak started. Vacaville has added over 1,600 new cases in the last 2 weeks! Something is going on in Vacaville.
- Deaths – no new deaths reported today, a total of 98 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
- Active cases – Solano reported 72 more active cases today for a total of 2,210 active cases. Solano’s average number of Active Cases during October was 284, average in November was 650 – and TODAY we are at 2,210! Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons? Who knows? To my knowledge, Solano has offered no reports on contact tracing.
- Hospitalizations – CAUTION ON SOLANO HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORTING: According to Solano Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, the County “occasionally” updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively, adding substantial numbers. Thus, many hospitalizations are never reported as CURRENTLY hospitalized. Today, Solano reported 4 more CURRENTLY hospitalized persons, total of 138. Among the age groups, the County reported only 6 new hospitalizations, for a total of 753 persons hospitalized since the outbreak began. [For the numbers used in my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below. For COVID19-CA.GOV numbers, see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.]
- ICU Beds – Solano County reported more ICU beds available today, back up to only 21% available, still in the YELLOW DANGER ZONE. COVID19-CA.GOV reported today that SOLANO COUNTY HAD ONLY 3 AVAILABLE ICU BEDS AS OF YESTERDAY, DECEMBER 30. (For COVID19-CA.GOV info see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County, and for REGIONAL data see COVID-19 ICU Bed Availability by REGION.)

Positive Test Rate – NEARLY 1 IN 5 ARE TESTING POSITIVE – VIRUS SPREADING LIKE WILDFIRE, STAY HOME!

Solano County reported our 7-day average positive test rate today at 18.5%, DOWN from yesterday’s 19.0%, but still far and away over the State’s purple tier threshold of 8%. Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring community spread of the virus. The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate was down slightly from yesterday’s 11.8% to 11.6% today. (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results. However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results. The 7-day curve therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.)

By Age Group – Continuing a holiday surge in all age groups

Youth 17 and under – 17 new cases today, total of 2,133 cases, representing 11.1% of the 19,211 total cases. No new hospitalizations reported today among this age group, total of 17 since the outbreak began. Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group. But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30. Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11% may seem low. The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact at least 17 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
Persons 18-49 years of age – 86 new cases today, total of 10,890 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents 56.7% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. The County reported 1 new hospitalization among persons in this age group today. A total of 238 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. Solano recorded no new deaths in this young group today, total of 7 deaths. Some in this group are surely at high risk, as many are providing essential services among us, and some may be ignoring public health orders. I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
Persons 50-64 years of age – 53 new cases today, total of 3,989 cases. This age group represents 20.8% of the 19,211 total cases. The County reported 1 new hospitalization among persons in this age group today. A total of 206 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today, a total of 17 deaths.
Persons 65 years or older – 47 new cases today, total of 2,190, representing 11.4% of Solano’s 19,211 total cases. The County reported 4 new hospitalizations (!) among persons in this age group today. A total of 292 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today. A total of 74 of our elders have died of COVID, accounting for 76% of Solano’s 98 total deaths.

City Data

Benicia added 4 new cases today, total of 508 cases since the outbreak began.
Dixon added 5 new cases today, total of 1221 cases.
Fairfield added 48 new cases today, total of 5,443 cases.
Rio Vista added 4 new cases today, total of 165 cases.
Suisun City added 16 new cases today, total of 1,346 cases.
Vacaville added 86 (!) new cases today, total of 4,854 cases.
Vallejo added 40 new cases today, total of 5,613 cases.
Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 61 cases.

More…

The County’s Coronavirus Dashboard is full of much more information, too extensive to cover here on a daily basis. The Benicia Independent will continue to summarize daily and highlight significant portions. For more, check out the Dashboard at https://doitgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=055f81e9fe154da5860257e3f2489d67.

Source

Source: Solano County Coronavirus Dashboard (posted on the County website late today, around 8pm). For a complete archive of County updates, see my Excel ARCHIVE. ALSO see important daily updates from the state of California at COVID19.CA.GOV, embedded here on the BenIndy at Cases and Deaths AND Hospitalizations AND ICU Beds by REGION.

#wearamask, Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Raley's Benicia, Solano County Health Department

Times-Herald coverage of COVID violation at Raley’s Benicia

December 31, 2020 Roger Straw

Maskless holiday party at Benicia Raley’s draws concern

Vallejo Times-Herald, by Katy St. Clair, December 31, 2020

**Raley’s Benicia holiday party, maskless employees, not socially distanced** (Source: Raley’s Benicia Facebook, December 24, 2020 – posted here by the Benicia Independent, not Vallejo Times-Herald)

It began with a social media post of various employees of a Raley’s store in Benicia, smiling for pictures around tables at a potluck holiday party on Christmas Eve — many not wearing masks.

The usual comments began — people horrified that a store would ignore both social distancing and masks, especially while eating. Then “anti-maskers” chimed in about how the virus is overblown. Most importantly, rumors began to spread that several employees at the Benicia store have been out sick.

One employee of Raley’s told the Times-Herald that at least one person at the potluck has contracted COVID-19.

“I was told by a manager in confidence that there have been 21 people total who have gotten COVID-19 who work here,” said the employee. “They are trying to keep it a secret.”

The employee spoke to the Times-Herald on condition of anonymity.

City of Benicia officials say they were told by store management that the store was “currently are not aware of any cases.”

Richard Rodriguez, team leader and general manager at the Benicia Raley’s, denies that 20 employees have been sick with COVID-19.

“No,” he laughed, “that’s not true not at all,” but he said that all further questions should be directed to Ashley Campas at the corporate office, who was not available for comment.

The city, meanwhile, released a statement about the store:

“It has been brought to our attention … that word is spreading on social media of a large number of employees at Raley’s testing positive for COVID-19 … City staff have contacted management and they have indicated that they currently are not aware of any positive cases, although a potluck was held over the holidays.”

“It’s a lie. It’s just a lie,” said the employee. “And that’s what’s concerning me. With everybody that is sick now — the first COVID case here was back in March, so you have to understand that this has been going on for a long time.”

“The city is aware of the party that was held at Raley’s and the concern it has generated,” Mayor Steve Young told the Times-Herald. “We are waiting for confirmation as to whether there are, in fact, employees who have tested positive. Our first concern remains the health and safety of the community as well as the workers.”

The Benicia Independent says that the Solano County Public Health department is investigating, something the Times-Herald has yet to be able to corroborate. But photos show that the store has gone against state regulations for essential workers, with employees at the potluck not wearing protective face coverings and gloves. The State of California requires that all employees wear face masks or coverings at all times.

**Raley’s Benicia holiday party, masked employees, not socially distanced** (Source: Raley’s Benicia Facebook, December 24, 2020 – posted here by the Benicia Independent, not Vallejo Times-Herald)

As for the denial from store general manager Rodriguez, the employee was miffed that their manager would laugh at the question.

“It hurts my heart that the management thinks this is funny or is a joke,” they said, adding that many there feel that they have to live with the risks involved with working there because they need the job. According to the source, they aren’t given gloves by the store and there is no organization around getting masks or other precautionary things.

“The health department came in yesterday so guess what? I got my temperature taken today and we suddenly have hand sanitizer.”

“In the midst of this dangerous surge of the virus, it is so important that every business and citizen respects and follows the safety protocols put in place for our protection,” Young said.

City of Benicia, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Keeping Watch on Earth News, Raley's Benicia, Solano County Health Department

City of Benicia comment on reports of COVID violations and outbreak at Raley’s

December 30, 2020 Roger Straw

Nextdoor / City of Benicia, by Communications, Office of Economic Development, Teri Davena, City of Benicia, December 30, 2020

Social Media Posts on COVID Cases in Employees of Local Grocery Store.

It has been brought to the attention of the City of Benicia that word is spreading on social media of a large number of employees at Raley’s testing positive for COVID-19.

Additionally, we understand through social media that their staff may have participated in an event that is in conflict with current state guidance.

City staff have contacted management and they have indicated that they currently are not aware of any positive cases, although a potluck was held over the holidays.

City staff is working with Solano County Public Health officials on this concern and will advise if this becomes a public health issue.

As a reminder, we continue to see cases surging throughout the state and urge members of our community to follow current orders and guidance. This includes frequent hand washing, wearing face coverings, maintaining social distancing, limiting outings to essential activities and not gathering.

Additional information on current guidance in Solano County is available at solanocounty.com/depts/ph/coronavirus.asp

Questions or comments on this post may be addressed to Fire Chief Josh Chadwick at jchadwick@ci.benicia.ca.us.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Benicia now over 500 COVID-19 cases, Solano County approaching 20,000

December 30, 2020 Roger Straw

UPDATE: See today’s latest information

By Roger Straw, December 30, 2020 [Sources: see below.]

Wednesday, December 30: 282 new Solano cases overnight, no new deaths. Since Feb: 19,008 cases, more than 745 hospitalized, 98 deaths.Compare previous report, Tuesday, Dec. 29:Summary

- Solano County reported 282 new cases overnight. In just the last 14 days, Solano has seen an increase of 4,616 new cases. We’re averaging 330 (!) new cases every day! (source: covid19.ca.gov) Total of 19,008 cases since the outbreak started.
- Deaths – no new deaths reported today, a total of 98 Solano deaths since the pandemic began.
- Active cases – Solano reported 130 more active cases today for a total of 2,138 active cases. Solano’s average number of Active Cases during October was 284, average in November was 650 – and TODAY we are at 2,130! Is the County equipped to contact trace so many infected persons? Who knows? To my knowledge, Solano has offered no reports on contact tracing.
- Hospitalizations – CAUTION ON SOLANO HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORTING: According to Solano Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas, the County “occasionally” updates Age Group hospitalizations retroactively, adding substantial numbers. Thus, many hospitalizations are never reported as CURRENTLY hospitalized. Today, Solano reported 5 more CURRENTLY hospitalized persons, total of 134. Among the age groups, the County reported only 3 new hospitalizations, for a total of 747 persons hospitalized since the outbreak began. [For the numbers used in my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below. For COVID19-CA.GOV numbers, see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County.]
- ICU Beds – Solano County reported fewer ICU beds available today, back down to only 11% available, in the YELLOW DANGER ZONE. COVID19-CA.GOV reported today that Solano hospitals had 13 available ICU beds as of yesterday, December 29. (For COVID19-CA.GOV info see BenIndy page, COVID-19 Hospitalizations Daily Update for Solano County, and for REGIONAL data see COVID-19 ICU Bed Availability by REGION.)
- Testing – The County upgraded its report on testing today. Previously reporting only the Total Number of Unduplicated Residents Tested, today the County added a new stat, Total Tests Performed. I am guessing that the first record, “Unduplicated,” was adjusted down some today, as the County reported an increase of only 214, far below the usual daily increase. Solano reports today that a 166,379 unduplicated residents have now been tested for COVID-19 since the outbreak began, and that a total of 216,435 tests have been performed on Solano residents. Thus, just over 50,000 tests have been administered on residents who had been previously tested. 37.2% of Solano County’s 447,643 residents (2019) have been tested.

Positive Test Rate – NEARLY 1 IN 5 ARE TESTING POSITIVE – VIRUS SPREADING LIKE WILDFIRE, STAY HOME!

Solano County reported our 7-day average positive test rate today at 19.0%, up from yesterday’s 18.2%, and still far and away over the State’s purple tier threshold of 8%. Average percent positive test rates are among the best metrics for measuring community spread of the virus. The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate was down from yesterday’s 12.0% to 11.8% today. (Note that Solano County displays past weeks and months in a 7-day test positivity line graph which also shows daily results. However, the chart does not display an accurate number of cases for the most recent days, as there is a lag time in receiving test results. The 7-day curve therefore also lags behind due to unknown recent test results.)

By Age Group – Continuing a holiday surge in all age groups

Youth 17 and under – 25 new cases today, total of 2,116 cases, representing 11.2% of the 19,008 total cases. No new hospitalizations reported today among this age group, total of 17 since the outbreak began. Thankfully, no deaths have ever been reported in Solano County in this age group. But cases among Solano youth rose steadily over the summer, from 5.6% of total cases on June 8 to 11% on August 31 and has plateaued at over 11% since September 30. Youth are 22% of Solano’s general population, so this 11% may seem low. The significance is this: youth are SERIOUSLY NOT IMMUNE (!) – in fact at least 17 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
Persons 18-49 years of age – 142 new cases today, total of 10,804 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents 56.9% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups. The County reported 1 new hospitalization among persons in this age group today. A total of 237 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. Solano recorded no new deaths in this young group today, total of 7 deaths. Some in this group are surely at high risk, as many are providing essential services among us, and some may be ignoring public health orders. I expect this group is a major factor in the spread of the virus.
Persons 50-64 years of age – 71 new cases today, total of 3,936 cases. This age group represents 20.7% of the 19,008 total cases. The County reported 1 new hospitalization among persons in this age group today. A total of 205 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today, a total of 17 deaths.
Persons 65 years or older – 44 new cases today, total of 2,143, representing 11.3% of Solano’s 19,008 total cases. The County reported 1 new hospitalization among persons in this age group today. A total of 288 have been hospitalized since the outbreak began. No new deaths were reported in this age group today. A total of 74 of our elders have died of COVID, accounting for 76% of Solano’s 98 total deaths.