Monthly Archives: April 2021

Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA, Vaccine

Solano County COVID cases up by only 20 today, lowest 1-day increase since Oct. 29, 2020

By Roger Straw, Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Solano COVID report: 20 new cases today and  368 active cases.  It’s still among us, folks – stay safe!

Solano County COVID report on Tuesday, April 20:
[Source: see far below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]
Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard – SUMMARY:

On April 20, Solano County reported no new deaths, and the County reported 20 new COVID cases overnight.  For context, our average over the first two weeks of April was 39 new cases per day.   Last week we saw 348 new cases, or slightly under 50 per day.  Last week’s increases will likely make it difficult  for Solano to join all other Bay Area counties in the State’s orange tier.  Solano’s Active cases fell today from 400 to 368.  Our percent positivity rate remained at 6.6%.

Cases among youth and young adults increasing

Yesterday, the percentage of total cases among youth aged 0-17 hit 12% for the first time.  This chart shows the increase among that age group since last July.  Note also the increase among the 18-49 year age group.

>> The virus is still on the move here.  Stay safe, get vaccinated, wear a mask and social distance!  We will get through this together.

Cases by City on April 20:

  • Benicia added 2 new cases today, total of 928 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon remained steady today, total of 1,842 cases.
  • Fairfield added 9 new cases today, total of 8,729 cases.
  • Rio Vista remained steady today, total of 359 cases.
  • Suisun City added 1 new case today, total of 2,192 cases.
  • Vacaville added 3 new cases today, total of 8,347 cases.
  • Vallejo added 5 new cases today, total of 9,549 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 101 cases.

Most new cases are among those of us age 18-49!  Please stay safe, and if you catch it, please don’t pass it on to your elders!

Solano Age Groups – Total & New Cases reported today
0-17 Total Cases New cases today 18-49 Total Cases New cases today 50-64 Total Cases New cases today 65+ Total Cases New cases today
3,837 5 17,737 11 6,615 2 3,846 2

Ages 0-17 reached 12.0% of all cases for the first time yesterday
Ages 18-49 count for 55.4% of all cases
Ages 50-64 count for 20.6% of all cases
Ages 65+ count for 12.0% of all cases

COMPARE: Screenshots from Solano County COVID Dashboard yesterday, Monday, April 19:

The data on this page is from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays around 4pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for Summary, Demographics and Vaccines.  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

Sources
#BlackLivesMatter, George Floyd, President Joe Biden, Racial justice

Biden calls for confronting systemic racism after Chauvin convicted of murder in Floyd’s death

Washington Post, by Reis Thebault, Hannah Knowles, Timothy Bella, Abigail Hauslohner, Paulina Villegas, Keith McMillan and Silvia Foster-Frau and Meryl Kornfield, April 20, 2021 at 5:20 p.m. PDT

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd on Tuesday, the conclusion of a closely watched trial that came nearly a year after Floyd’s killing catalyzed an international protest movement for racial justice.

After just over 10 hours of deliberation, a jury returned guilty verdicts on all three counts: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison and will await his sentencing, in eight weeks, from jail.

“It’s not enough. We can’t stop here,” President Biden said in remarks at the White House after the conviction. The verdict is a rare example of punishment after a police killing. Advocates embraced it as an overdue measure of accountability but said they will continue fighting for justice and police reform.

“I’m going to miss him, but now I know he’s in history,” Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd said Tuesday.

Here’s what you need to know:
Benicia CA, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA, Vaccine

Solano County youth & young adult COVID cases up dramatically

By Roger Straw, Monday, April 19, 2021

Solano COVID report: 1 more death, and 152 new cases over the weekend.  400 active cases and youth cases seriously increasing.  It’s still among us, folks – stay safe!

Solano County COVID report on Monday, April 19:
[Source: see far below.  See also my ARCHIVE spreadsheet of daily Solano COVID updates.]
Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard – SUMMARY:
On April 19, Solano County reported 1 new death, someone over 65, and the County reported 152 new COVID cases over the 3-day weekend.  For context, our average over the first two weeks of April was 39 new cases per day.   Last week we saw 348 new cases, or slightly under 50 per day.  These increases will likely make it more difficult  for Solano to join all other Bay Area counties in the State’s orange tier.  Solano’s Currently Active cases increased today from 373 to 400.  Our percent positivity rate increased from 6.2% to 6.6%.

Cases among youth and young adults increasing – Today, the percentage of total cases among youth aged 0-17 hit 12% for the first time.  This chart shows the increase among that age group since last July.  Note also the increase among the 18-49 year age group.

>> The virus is still on the move here.  Stay safe, get vaccinated, wear a mask and social distance!  We will get through this together.

Cases by City on April 19:

  • Benicia added 11 new cases today, total of 926 cases since the outbreak began.
  • Dixon added 5 new cases today, total of 1,842 cases.
  • Fairfield added 49 new cases today, total of 8,720 cases.
  • Rio Vista added 1 new case today, total of 359 cases.
  • Suisun City added 11 new cases today, total of 2,191 cases.
  • Vacaville added 31 new cases today, total of 8,344 cases.
  • Vallejo added 44 new cases today, total of 9,544 cases.
  • Unincorporated areas remained steady today, total of 101 cases.

Most new cases are among those of us age 18-49!  Please stay safe, and if you catch it, please don’t pass it on to your elders!

Solano Age Groups – Total & New Cases reported today
0-17 Total Cases New cases today 18-49 Total Cases New cases today 50-64 Total Cases New cases today 65+ Total Cases New cases today
3,832 36 17,727 79 6,613 23 3,844 14

Ages 0-17 reached 12.0% of all cases for the first time today
Ages 18-49 count for 55.4% of all cases
Ages 50-64 count for 20.7% of all cases
Ages 65+ count for 12.0% of all cases

COMPARE: Screenshots from Solano County COVID Dashboard yesterday, Friday, April 16:

The images on this page are from today’s and the previous Solano County COVID-19 Dashboard.  The Dashboard is full of much more information and updated weekdays around 4pm.  On the County’s dashboard, you can hover a mouse or click on an item for more information.  Note the tabs at top for Summary, Demographics and Vaccines.  Click here to go to today’s Solano County Dashboard.

Sources
#BlackLivesMatter, Benicia CA, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Hate crimes, Racial bias, Racism

Benicia Mayor Steve Young on racism in Benicia: ‘We do, in fact, have a problem’

Steve Young on Facebook, April 18, 2021

On the hate crime last weekend and the arrest

Benicia Mayor Steve Young

I recently received an email from a member of the community asking me to push back against the idea that Benicia has a problem with racism. They argued that Benicia Black Lives Matter is overstating the degree of racism in our town. I responded by saying that there was, in fact, a problem here that needed to be acknowledged. They politely, but firmly, disagreed.

The incident on April 10 in the Raley’s parking lot, where three young Black teenagers were subjected to racial slurs by a white Benicia resident who later threatened them with an airsoft pistol, showed that an idealized version of Benicia is not the reality. It was the most recent and overt example of racism here, but it was not the only one. A white Benicia fisherman was captured on camera berating a group of Asian-Americans on the pier for fishing in “his” spot, and asking where “they” came from.

The young victims at the Raley’s center are understandably traumatized by this act of racist hate and intimidation. The alleged perpetrator was quickly arrested by Benicia police on several counts, including perpetrating a hate crime. He is currently out on bail, and charging decisions will be made by the District Attorney.

There are clearly too many people in Benicia, be they citizens or visitors, who still suffer from racial bias (both conscious and unconscious), and too many people of color who suffer direct and indirect discrimination. Whether the bias comes from blatant hatred, ignorance or lack of education/information, it is real and it needs to be acknowledged before it can be meaningfully addressed.

The City has taken the first steps by hiring a part-time Racial and Equity Manager to help us review our own practices. Benicia is approximately 30% minority, but the makeup of our various Boards and Commissions, as well as our overall city employment, does not reflect that level of representation.

Clearly, there is work that needs to be done to make our community more inclusive and welcoming to all of our residents. But that work must start with acknowledging that we do, in fact, have a problem.
We can do better as a community by opening our mind and listening to each other. Hate and racism have no place in Benicia, and we must do our best to make this a more welcoming and inclusive city.