Monthly Archives: March 2021

Coronavirus, Covid 19, COVID-19 Purple Tier, COVID-19 Red Tier, MyTurn.Ca.Gov

Solano County returns to COVID-19 Red Tier effective March 10

March 9, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Contacts:
Matthew Davis, Senior Management Analyst and Public Communications Officer
(707) 784-6111 | MADavis@SolanoCounty.com (AND)
Jayleen Richards, Health Services Administrator, Public Health Division
(707) 784-8616 | JMRichards@SolanoCounty.com

Solano County returns to Red Tier (Red Tier (2) effective March March 10, loosening restrictions for certain businesses activities
Download the press release…

SOLANO COUNTY –– The State of California announced today that Solano County has moved from the most restrictive Purple Tier (Tier 1) to a less-restrictive Red Tier (Tier 2) of the State’s COVID-19 Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Effective Wednesday, March 10, more businesses and activities will be able to expand capacity or resume operations, including indoor services at restaurants, increased capacity at retail and shopping centers, youth sports activities and an opportunity for schools to reopen.

“The declining number of cases is great news for our community as a whole, with local businesses now able to expand operations,” said Bela T. Matyas, M.D., M.P.H. “However, it is still critical for everyone to continue to practice health and safety measures. Let us all continue to do our part to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19 infection—wear a mask, practice physical distancing, limit gatherings with others outside of the household, and get vaccinated when the vaccine is available for you.”

MOVING INTO THE RED TIER (TIER 2) ALLOWS:
◼ Restaurants indoor dining (max 25% capacity of facility or 100 people, whichever is fewer)
◼ All retail indoors (max 50% capacity of facility)
◼ Shopping centers, swap meets indoors (max 50% capacity of facility, closed common areas)
◼ Museums, zoos and aquariums (max 25% capacity of facility)
◼ Movie theaters indoors (max 25% capacity of facility or 100 people, whichever is fewer)
◼ Gyms and fitness centers indoors (max 10% capacity of facility)
◼ Schools may open while in Red Tier status and provide in-person instruction
◼ Youth sports: Outdoor low-and moderate-contact sports are permitted; outdoor high-contact sports are also permitted if state guidelines are adhered to

BUSINESSES MUST STILL IMPLEMENT STATE-MANDATED INDUSTRY GUIDANCE:
Prior to opening under the Red Tier, all businesses and activities must review the State guidelines, complete a State COVID-19 general checklist and ensure a written plan is on file and available for public review. Information and resources on Guidance for Specific Industries is available on the State’s COVID-19 website at www.covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/

WHAT CAN HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS
To move to an even less restrictive tier, the Orange Tier (Tier 3), test positivity rates and additional metrics must continue to improve for two consecutive weeks. If Solano County residents and businesses continue to make progress in preventing COVID-19 transmission, additional business sectors and indoor activities can progressively begin to open, with modifications.

VACCINATED SECTORS IN SOLANO COUNTY
Nearly 90,000 people have been vaccinated and more than 30,000 have received two doses, including the healthcare and emergency services sectors, individuals 65 years of age and older, childcare workers, teachers and school employees, food and agricultural workers.

NOTIFICATION ABOUT UPCOMING VACCINE CLINICS
Solano Public Health urges Solano County residents to register on both the Solano County Vaccine Interest Form and on the State’s MyTurn system to be pre-screened and notified of opportunities to receive a vaccine when it is their turn. Register for the Vaccine Interest Form by visiting bit.ly/solanovax or by calling (707) 784-8988. Register on the State’s MyTurn notification system by visiting https://MyTurn.Ca.Gov or by calling (833) 422-4255.

COVID-19 INFORMATION
For the most recent local COVID-19 health information, including the number of COVID-19 cases and to register for vaccination in Solano County, visit the Solano County website at www.SolanoCounty.com/COVID19 and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SolanoCountyPH (@SolanoCountyPH).

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Coronavirus, Covid 19, Keeping Watch on Earth News, Solano County CA

Solano County reports 99 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend

By Roger Straw, Monday, March 8, 2021

COVID is still spreading and dangerous in Solano County – get vaccinated, stay safe! (See Solano vaccine and/or PlanYourVaccine.)

Monday, March 8: 99 new Solano cases overnight, no new deaths.  Since February 2020: 30,404 cases, over 930 hospitalized, 167 deaths.Compare previous report, Friday, March 5:Summary
[See Sources.  Daily archive of BenIndy Solano updates: Excel ARCHIVE. 
    • CASES – Solano County reported 99 new cases overnight, a total of 30,404 cases since the outbreak started.
    • DEATHS – the County reported no new deaths today.  A total of 167 Solano residents have died with COVID since the pandemic began.  In January-February, Solano recorded 66 coronavirus deaths, fully 40% of Solano’s COVID deaths to date!  While many other COVID stats are improving, the recent surge in deaths is no doubt the final sad result of our holiday surge and the Super Bowl.
    • ACTIVE cases – Solano reported 86 fewer active cases today, a total of 190 active cases.  Compare: Solano’s average number of Active Cases last October was 284, average in November was 650, in December 1,658, in January 2,185, then in February down to 481 and TODAY we are at 190.  Much better – but note that’s still a bunch of contagious folks somewhere among us, nearly 200 of them, hopefully quarantined and staying away from grandma and grandpa!
    • HOSPITALIZATIONS – Today, Solano reported 8 fewer currently hospitalized cases, total of 22.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among the age groups, a total of 930 hospitalized in all age groups since the pandemic began.  [For the numbers used in my manual calculation of total hospitalizations, see age group stats below.
    • ICU BEDS – In late January, Solano hospitals expanded their ICU capacity.  Even with the expanded ICU capacity, Solano County has continued to fall in and out of the YELLOW DANGER ZONE.  Back in the green zone today, the County reported 38% of ICU beds available today up from 28% Friday. California’s COVID19-CA.GOV reports that Solano County had 15 available ICU beds yesterday, March 7.  (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.)
    • VENTILATORS available – Today Solano hospitals have 72% of ventilators available, same as Friday, and nearing last summer’s reports of 82-94% available.
Positive Test Rate and our Purple/Red Tier rating

Solano County is reporting that our positive test rate today is 6.7%, up from Friday’s 6.2%.  Our 14-day average positive test rate is 6.0% according to my own calculation. The much lower and more stable California 7-day average test rate was at 2.1% today, same as Friday.
>> Tier Rating:  Reports suggest that Solano may move down into the red tier as soon as tomorrow.  Before dropping to a lower tier, the State requires a county to  maintain a positive test rate at or below 8% AND an ADJUSTED case rate at or below 10 new cases per day per 100,000 residents for two consecutive weeks.  Solano’s 14-day average positive test rate meets that standard, at 6.0% by my calculation (and maybe even lower by some formula used by the state), and our adjusted case rate is also within the red tier range, at 7.7 per day over the last two weeks (as of 3/2) according to COVID.CA.GOV.  Recent news is that the state will lower the adjusted case rate standard to 7% soon, which would certainly clinch Solano’s movement to the red tier.

By Age Group
  • Youth 17 and under – 23 new cases overnight, total of 3,561 cases, representing 11.7% of the 30,404 total cases.  No new hospitalizations were reported today among this very young age group, total of 19 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 remained 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 19 of our youth have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.
  • Persons 18-49 years of age – 52 new cases overnight, total of 16,786 cases. This age group is 41% of the population in Solano, but represents 55.2% of the total cases, by far the highest percentage of all age groups.  The County reported no new hospitalizations among persons in this age group today.  A total of 258 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  Solano recorded no new deaths in this young group today, total of 10 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 – 9 new cases overnight, total of 6,337 cases.  This age group represents 20.9% of the 30,404 total cases.  A hospitalized and deceased member of this age group was moved to the 65+ age group today.  A new total of 248 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  Deaths reported in this age group now total 26.
  • Persons 65 years or older – 15 new cases overnight, total of 3,709, representing 12.2% of Solano’s 30,404 total cases.  A hospitalized and deceased member of the 50-64 age group was moved to this 65+ age group today.  A new total of 405 are reported to have been hospitalized since the outbreak began.  Deaths reported among our elders in this age group now total 131, accounting for 78% of Solano’s 167 total deaths.
City Data
  • Benicia added 2 new cases overnight, total of 859 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon remained steady today, total of 1,768 cases.
  • Fairfield added 45 new cases overnight, total of 8,290 cases.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 332 cases.
  • Suisun City remained steady today, total of 2,054 cases.
  • Vacaville added 22 new cases overnight, total of 7,976 cases.
  • Vallejo added 29 new cases overnight, total of 9,032 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 92 cases.
Race / Ethnicity

The County report on race / ethnicity includes case numbers, hospitalizations, deaths and Solano population statistics.  This information is discouragingly similar to national reports that indicate significantly worse outcomes among black and brown Americans.

  • Asian Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 14% of cases, 15% of hospitalizations, and 19% of deaths.
  • Black Americans are 14% of Solano’s population, and account for 12% of cases, but 17% of hospitalizations, and 20% of deaths.
  • Latinx Americans are 26% of Solano’s population, but account for 32% of cases and 30% of hospitalizations, and 18% of deaths.
  • Multi-race / Others are 7% of Solano’s population, but account for 13% of cases, 8% of hospitalizations, and 7% of deaths.
  • White Americans are 39% of the population in Solano County, but account for only 29% of cases, 30% of hospitalizations, and 36% of deaths.
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).  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.
Air Quality, Health impacts, Keeping Watch on Earth News, Smoke, Toxic smoke, Wildfire

Wildfire smoke is up to 10 times more harmful to breathe than other air pollution

New study finds wildfire smoke impacts respiratory health more than fine particles from other sources

REDWOOD CITY, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Smoke from wildfires burning in Northern California filter the sun light in Redwood City, Calif., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
REDWOOD CITY, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Smoke from wildfires burning in Northern California filter the sun light in Redwood City, Calif., on Sept. 9, 2020. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Vallejo Times-Herald, by Paul Rogers, March 6, 2021

Choking smoke from record wildfires blanketed Northern California last summer and fall. It turned Bay Area skies an otherworldly orange, raising health concerns over a hazard that is increasing as temperatures continue to climb and poorly managed forests burn out of control each year across the West.

With this winter being extraordinarily dry, the chances of another big wildfire year are high. But the flames may not pose the biggest danger to the most people: A new study published Friday found that tiny particles of soot from wildfires, which millions of Californians are breathing in, are up to 10 times as harmful to human respiratory health as particulate pollution from other sources, such as car exhaust, factories or power plants.

“We’ve been really successful in reducing air pollution across the country by improving standards for automobiles, trucks and power plants,” said Tom Corringham, a research economist who studies climate and atmospheric science at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC-San Diego. “The trend has been a decrease in air pollution. But these wildfires are getting worse.”

Corringham and his fellow researchers studied the number of people admitted to hospitals with respiratory problems daily from 1999 to 2012 in Southern California. They compared it to data from fires, Santa Ana winds and smoke plumes from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

They found that when air pollution of tiny particles called PM 2.5 — for particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller, so small that 30 of them can line up along the width of a human hair — increased modestly, the number of people admitted to hospitals for respiratory ailments such as asthma increased by 1% on average. But when PM 2.5 levels from wildfire smoke went up by the same amount, or 10 micrograms per cubic meter, there was a 10% increase in those hospital admissions.

The tiny particles can penetrate deep into people’s lungs, enter the bloodstream and increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other serious health issues.

Last year, 4.2 million acres — an area 13 times the size of the city of Los Angeles — burned in California, the most in modern times. Fires from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Southern Sierra sent enormous plumes of smoke over the state’s largest cities and as far away as the East Coast. On Sept. 9, smoke mixed with the marine layer, turning Bay Area skies an apocalyptic orange.

OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Orange sky glows above the Fox Theater on Telegraph Avenue in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. The unusual orange and red-hued skies were a result of smoke from the Northern California wildfires. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District called 30 “Spare the Air” days in a row from August 18 to September 16. Soot levels nearly as bad blanketed the Bay Area during the Camp Fire in 2018 and Wine Country fires in 2017. In the Sierra, the Sacramento Valley and parts of Southern California, air quality was even worse last year, reaching 10 to 15 times the federal health standard.

A study by Stanford researchers concluded that the fires last fall caused 1,200 excess deaths and 4,800 extra emergency room visits in California, mostly among people 65 and older with pre-existing conditions such as respiratory problems, diabetes and heart disease.

More is on the way. Wildfire risk is expected to be high this summer due to the unusually dry winter. Last fall, state and federal officials signed an agreement to double the rate of thinning forests that have grown unnaturally thick due to generations of fire suppression. Gov. Gavin Newsom added $1 billion to California’s state budget this year for increased forest management, fuel breaks, fire inspections and fire crews.

But Corringham said that as the climate continues to warm and wildfires increase, government agencies must directly address the health risks of smoke, particularly to the elderly and low-income people. More “clean room” cooling centers, rebates for home air purifiers and better public education campaigns are key, he said.

Other health officials generally agreed.

Dr. John Balmes, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco and a member of the California Air Resources Board, said some types of particle pollution, such as diesel soot, can be more dangerous than wildfire smoke. But overall, he agreed with the Scripps researchers’ conclusions that wildfire smoke poses a growing threat to the state’s residents as the climate warms.

“There’s no question it’s a huge air quality problem that has major health impacts,” Balmes said.

“There was a ring of fire last year around the Bay Area,” he added. “We are going to have to spend billions of dollars to maintain our forests better. It is going to take years. It can’t be done overnight.”

Scientists don’t know precisely why wildfire smoke is more harmful than most other particulate pollution. One theory is that when buildings burn, everything toxic in them, from heavy metals to plastics to pesticides, is sent airborne in smoke. Another theory is that the carbon nature of the particles causes more inflammation and stress on the lungs than other types of pollution.

“They are saying that wildfire smoke is more toxic. And that’s probably true,” said Dr. Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University’s Sean Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research. “Usually direct deaths from wildfires are smaller than the effects from the smoke.”

BONNY DOON, CA – AUGUST 20: As the CZU August Lightning Complex fire burns houses near by, a Santa Cruz County Central Fire Protection District firefighter works in a residential neighborhood near Empire Grade to protect the remaining homes in Bonny Doon, Calif., in the early morning of Aug. 20, 2020. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
Democratic Party, Filibuster, US Senate

Democrats can’t kill the filibuster. But they can gut it.

Three reforms Manchin and Sinema might consider

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) at a Feb. 24 Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing. (Leigh Vogel/AP)
The Washington Post, by Norman Ornstein, March 2, 2021

Democrats won both Georgia Senate seats in January’s runoffs, giving them control of both houses of Congress and the White House for the first time in a decade. But their ability to advance legislation — from raising the federal minimum wage to democracy reforms in the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — can be thwarted by the Senate’s 60-vote supermajority filibuster rule.

Progressives’ anger at Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his caucus, who use the filibuster to block every initiative they can, is nearly matched by their frustration with Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin III (W. Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), whose opposition to getting rid of the filibuster means Democrats are stuck with it, since they’d need all 50 votes in their caucus, plus Vice President Harris as a tiebreaker, to do it. Last month, the progressive No Excuses PAC, whose leaders helped elect Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) in 2018, said Manchin and Sinema “stand in the way of progress” by abetting Republican efforts “to shrink their own party’s pandemic relief, climate, and economic investment plans.” The political action committee has talked up primary challenges to both of them to show “‘how angry Democratic primary voters are going to be’ if they continue to support the filibuster.”

Manchin hasn’t budged, though. Monday, when asked if he’d reconsider his stance on eliminating the filibuster, he shot back: “Jesus Christ, what don’t you understand about ‘never’?”

Democrats are right to see the urgency: Republican state lawmakers around the country are moving to enact voter suppression measures that will, if passed, put the slender Democratic majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives in jeopardy in 2022 and beyond. Without democracy reform, and with the Supreme Court’s recent assaults on the Voting Rights Act, sticking with the filibuster could make it nearly impossible for the Biden administration to pursue its agenda.

But Democrats should proceed with caution: In 2001, I warned that if Republicans harangued Sen. Jim Jeffords (Vt.) over his apostasy on their party’s policy priorities, they would regret it. He would switch parties and, in a 50-50 Senate, shift the Senate majority. The next month, it happened. The same concern now applies to Democrats with Manchin. Push too far, and the result could be Majority Leader McConnell, foreclosing Democrats’ avenue to pursue infrastructure, tax reform and health reform legislation.

So, what can Democrats do?

For a West Virginia Democrat, heavy criticism from key members of his own party, up to and including President Biden, might wind up working to Manchin’s advantage. That was true of an earlier apostate, Sen. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.), who’s been reelected several times after switching from Democrat to Republican in 1994, after butting heads with President Bill Clinton.

Instead of naming and shaming them, Democrats might consider looking at what Manchin and Sinema like about the filibuster. Sinema recently said, “Retaining the legislative filibuster is not meant to impede the things we want to get done. Rather, it’s meant to protect what the Senate was designed to be. I believe the Senate has a responsibility to put politics aside and fully consider, debate, and reach compromise on legislative issues that will affect all Americans.” Last year, Manchin said, “The minority should have input — that’s the whole purpose for the Senate. If you basically do away with the filibuster altogether for legislation, you won’t have the Senate. You’re a glorified House. And I will not do that.”

If you take their views at face value, the goal is to preserve some rights for the Senate minority, with the aim of fostering compromise. The key, then, is to find ways not to eliminate the filibuster on legislation but to reform it to fit that vision. Here are some options:

Make the minority do the work. Currently, it takes 60 senators to reach cloture — to end debate and move to a vote on final passage of a bill. The burden is on the majority, a consequence of filibuster reform in 1975, which moved the standard from two-thirds of senators present and voting to three-fifths of the entire Senate. Before that change, if the Senate went around-the-clock, filibustering senators would have to be present in force. If, for example, only 75 senators showed up for a cloture vote, 50 of them could invoke cloture and move to a final vote. After the reform, only a few senators in the minority needed to be present to a request for unanimous consent and to keep the majority from closing debate by forcing a quorum call. The around-the-clock approach riveted the public, putting a genuine spotlight on the issues. Without it, the minority’s delaying tactics go largely unnoticed, with little or no penalty for obstruction, and no requirement actually to debate the issue.

One way to restore the filibuster’s original intent would be requiring at least two-fifths of the full Senate, or 40 senators, to keep debating instead requiring 60 to end debate. The burden would fall to the minority, who’d have to be prepared for several votes, potentially over several days and nights, including weekends and all-night sessions, and if only once they couldn’t muster 40 — the equivalent of cloture — debate would end, making way for a vote on final passage of the bill in question.

Go back to the “present and voting” standard. A shift to three-fifths of the Senate “present and voting” would similarly require the minority to keep most of its members around the Senate when in session. If, for example, the issue in question were voting rights, a Senate deliberating on the floor, 24 hours a day for several days, would put a sharp spotlight on the issue, forcing Republicans to publicly justify opposition to legislation aimed at protecting the voting rights of minorities. Weekend Senate sessions would cause Republicans up for reelection in 2022 to remain in Washington instead of freeing them to go home to campaign. In a three-fifths present and voting scenario, if only 80 senators showed up, only 48 votes would be needed to get to cloture. Add to that a requirement that at all times, a member of the minority party would have to be on the floor, actually debating, and the burden would be even greater, while delivering what Manchin and Sinema say they want — more debate.

Narrow the supermajority requirement. Another option would be to follow in the direction of the 1975 reform, which reduced two-thirds (67 out of a full 100) to three-fifths (60 out of 100), and further reduce the threshold to 55 senators — still a supermajority requirement, but a slimmer one. Democrats might have some ability to get five Republicans to support their desired outcomes on issues such as voting rights, universal background checks for gun purchases or a path to citizenship for Dreamers. A reduction to 55, if coupled with a present-and-voting standard would establish even more balance between majority and minority.

In a 50-50 Senate, and with the GOP strategy clearly being united opposition to almost all Democratic priorities, Biden and Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.) need the support of Manchin and Sinema on a daily basis. They won’t be persuaded by pressure campaigns from progressive groups or from members of Congress. But they might consider reforms that weaken the power of filibusters and give Democrats more leverage to enact their policies, without pursuing the dead end of abolishing the rule altogether.

Headshot of Norman OrnsteinNorman Ornstein, an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is a co-author of “One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate and the Not-Yet Deported.”

For safe and healthy communities…